A New Beginning
by missmargo
Summary: Nathan never lived in Tree Hill, he lived in New York City, but when he gets into troule there he gets sent to live with the only family he has..... Lucas!


Chapter 1  
  
Nathan Scott, the pride of his New York high school's basketball team, and kid with the shot of a lifetime at the NBA, and top unversity teams, was in trouble, a lot of trouble. He was arrested for holding up a convenience store, he was not the only one involved, but his buddies bailed, and he didn't rat them out.  
  
He was in a court room, him and his parents. He was already guilty, but he was waiting for his sentencing.  
  
The Judge stood up. "After a lot of deliberation, we have decided that we will sentence young Mr. Scott as a minor. We have come to the decision that we will send Him away from his family, and this city to live with his only otehr living relatives-"  
  
"Sir, I don't have any other relatives, my grandparents are dead, and I have no aunts or uncles that don't live in the city" Nathan cut in.  
  
"Sit down Mr. Scott. But you are mistaken, you have relatives in the town of Tree Hill North Carolina. They have agreed to take you in, the mother of your half brother Lucas Scott, has agreed to be your guardian until you are of legal age, or until you go to a university."  
  
Nathan was shocked, he didn't even know he had a half brother. He looked at his dad. This was far worse than jail.  
  
"Mom, how could you do this to me?" asked Lucas Scott who had just found out that his half brother would be living with them. "All you know about him is that he was raised by Dan, and that he was arrested, that isn't a promising start."  
  
"Oh lucas, give him a chance, I have agreed to be his guardian, and you are out of luck." Karen replied, as she went out into her diner.  
  
"You better be right mom. Or I might be the next scott in court, only I will have commited Murder."  
  
It had been two weeks and Nathan was due to arrive that day, Karen was leaving the cafe with him and his best friend Haley for the day.  
  
Just as she was about to leave, she got an important cal, she could not miss. She knew it would take a long time so she turned to her son "Could you please pick him up for me Lucas?"  
  
"Nope, he can drive himself." Lucas said smugly.  
  
"Oh, you big baby, I'll go." Haley cut in, "Karen, can I borrow your keys."  
  
"Sure, thanks Haley." She said, giving her son a mean look.  
  
The plane was delayed so Haley sat down on one of teh benches. She read through a book she ha on the go. She looked up at the monitor and saw than she had totally missed the plane. He would probably be getting his luggage now.  
  
She ran over to the luggage thing. She spotted a guy in a varsity jacket and looking very lost. She walked over to him. "Are you Nathan Scott?" she asked.  
  
"even if I wasn't I'd tell you I was," he said as he checked her out.  
  
"Smooth, very smooth. Now come on, Karen and lucas will be waiting for us." she said back at him, a little annoyed.  
  
They got back to the cafe a little while later, they hadn't said much the whole way there, but from the little he did say, she found him conceited, annoying and very self centered.  
  
"This is where I'll be living?" he asked "My garage was bigger than this."  
  
"Shut up, you should be glad they are taking you in. It beats missing your precious basketball, and going to jail." she hissed at him.  
  
"First of all, your little basketball team, would die if tehy played my old team and second, How do you know so much about me?" He asked, a little surprised, but a little impressed too.  
  
"First of all," she mocked him "Until you see our team, don't jump to conclusions. And second, Lucas, Karen. although, they aren't as nice as I was about it."  
  
"This is nice? wow maybe I should run off right now." he joked.  
  
"Oh just go inside, it is freezing out here." she said as she pushed him in the back.  
  
They got inside and they could smell dinner ready.  
  
"Hello, I'm Karen," she said as they got into the door. "And this is lucas, and you already know Haley." She was trying to make him feel welcome.  
  
"Hey," he said. Karen seemed nice, but that Lucas kid was just a punk waiting to be put into his place.  
  
"Haley, did you want to stay for dinner?" asked Karen.  
  
"I'd love to, but my mom wants me home, today is our Family Dinner Day and I might already be late. But I'll see you guys soon." she said as she turned to the door. When she passed Lucas she whispered "have fun," and when she passed Nathan she whispered "Good luck." She almost couldn't wait to see if these two would both survive until Monday  
  
Chapter 2  
  
It was Monday, Haley hadn't talked to Lucas since the day Nathan came to live with him. She figured that they should just hate each other for a while before she budded in.  
  
She got to her locker, to find Lucas.  
  
"Hey Haley," he said.  
  
"You don't sound happy." she replied.  
  
"Do i look happy?" he snapped at her.  
  
"Hey, don't take your family problems out on me." she said back. "Besides, there's Brooke, she is most likely waiting for me."  
  
he turned around. she looked surprised but then said "Actually Haley, i did want to talk to you."  
  
"Oh, what?" asked Haley.  
  
"Who is that guy?" she asked as she pointed to a very mad Nathan beating on some locker.  
  
Haley laughed, "it's Nathan Lucas's half brother. But aren't you dating Lucas?"  
  
It was Brooke's turn to laugh. "yeah, buit he was looking at you."  
  
"Oh," Haley was embarrased. She looked back at Nathan, he looked mad and upset. "I'm gonna go and help him out."  
  
"Yeah you go do that," Brooke sid as she jokingly pushed her into Nathan.  
  
"Sorry!" Haley exclaimed. As she regained her balance.  
  
"No problem. Jump on me all you want." he joked.  
  
"Shut up Scott." she said. "do you want help?" SHe tunred to the dented locker.  
  
"Yeah, could you?" he said.  
  
He gave her the combination. she opened it no problem.  
  
"How the heck did you do that." he asked.  
  
"It just needed a Womens touch." she said flirting as she rubbed her hand across his face. "see ya later."  
  
In T/A, Nathan walked in. Hlaey thought, oh crap, could this get worse?  
  
It did, she was assigned to be his Buddy and show him the school. Brooke smiled at her from the other side of the room.  
  
During lunch Haley brought Nathan to the cafeteria.  
  
When they got in there a bunch of the guys from the basketball team approached them.  
  
"Hey Hales," Tim, one of the popular bad boys said. "So this is Lucas's brother? I hear you play some ball? You any good?"  
  
"Better than you i bet, in fact, better than most of you on this small town crap team." Nathan shot back.  
  
"Well you are just gonna have to prove it aren't you Mr. Cocky. Come to our practise after school today. I'm sure Whitey will give you a chance. But i'm warning you, he isn't a sissy, easy going city coach." Tim said with a smirk.  
  
"OK, I'll come, and i'll cya there." Nathan said.  
  
As Tim walked off he pinched Haley's butt. "oh get going Tim," she yelled back at him.  
  
She turned to Nathan. "Don't worry about him, he's a pretty good player, but mainly he's just all talk. Once he sees you play, he'll probably become your new best friend."  
  
"He your boyfriend?" he asked.  
  
"Tim! no, he more of one of those guys who doesn't really date people much, he mainly has a new girl every night. But he's a good guy to have at parties." Haley laughed.  
  
Nathan asked Haley to sit through the practise that day. She really didn't have much to do, her shift didn't start until six, so she figured she could stick around.  
  
She sat up on the bleachers. Lucas came up to talk. "hey, how was your day with New York over there?" he asked. "I pity you"  
  
"he's not that bad when he actually tries to be nice. But overall he's can be a jerk." she said.  
  
"can be? he locked himself in his room all weekend, we only saw him at meals. He such a-" he was cut off.  
  
"Scott! get down here, I want you to play this other Scott here, see what he's got." Whitey called to him.  
  
"see ya Hales." he said as he slid down the railing.  
  
They played one on one for a few minutes. They were so evenly matched that when one got a point the other did too. Everyone was amazed by how these two played.  
  
no one said anything after Whitey blew the whistle.  
  
"Well, that was a good game, What's your number Scott?" whitey asked Nathan after the silence.  
  
"Twenty-Three, unless it's taken." he said.  
  
"Okay, twenty-three it is" whitey said, "I want you starting lineup on my next game, sound good to you?"  
  
"yeah, sure coach." he said.  
  
When practise was over Tim came up to Nathan "Awesome game there Scott, you and your brother are awesome together."  
  
"Don't call him that, we don't even know each other. Besides, he isn't that good." Nathan shot at him.  
  
"Whatever you say," Tim said. "hey, party at my house Saturday after the game."  
  
"I'm there." Nathan said.  
  
He went out to find Haley after he changed, but she was just leaving the gym with Lucas as he got into the gym.  
  
He just got a ride home and went up to his room, then turned his stereo up and hung out in his room all night. He didn't even bother to go get some dinner.  
  
Chapter 3 -  
  
"New Player Nathan Scott and his brother Lucas Scott are really keeping this game alive tonight folkes" Said Motuh's voice over the speakers. "The Raven's lead the Grizzlies 65 to 43. I guess good basketball skills run in the family."  
  
It was true, the two of them really were keeping the game alive. The other team, and the rest of the Ravens were playing like crap.  
  
Haley was watching from the stands. She knew hat both Nathan and Lucas hated playing together, but they both were playing awesome, probably to show the other up.  
  
Haley looked over at Karen next to her. "They really hate each other," she said.  
  
"Yeah I know, i can't even get them to have a civilized conversation, they either say nothing at all, or yell."  
  
"I can't be helping. I am Nathan's sort of "Mentor" and Lucas's best friend. But I can't really help it." Haley said, feeling bad.  
  
"Oh don't blame yourself kido, they never were going to get along, with or without you at all." Karen said, making her feel better.  
  
When the horn ending the game finally went off. Karen told Haley to have fun at the after party, which both Nathan and Lucas both told her to come to. And Karen left. Haley went down to meet Lucas and Nathan, she offered to drive both of them without them knowing it.  
  
"Hey Hales," Lucas said as he came out of the locker room. "Ready to go?"  
  
"Just a minute, we need to wait for Nathan." Haley said, a little worried.  
  
"Why would you tell him to come with us?" Lucas was angry.  
  
"Because, he has no car here, and you two need to get along once in a while." Haley replied.  
  
"Fine, but for the record, I am not happy." Lucas said.  
  
Nathan didn't seem much happier, but they both managed to say one nice thing to each other in the car. They both were about a good shot the other made, but it was a step in the right direction.  
  
When they got to Tim's, they didn't find anyone there.  
  
Tim came outside and went up to the car. "sorry guys, parties cancelled, my parents came home early and they want a quiet night. We figured we'd party tomorrow."  
  
"why don't we go to my parents summer home?" Nathan asked. Everyone looked at him surprised. "I haven't been there for like forever, we've rented it off to people a lot. I think I was there when I was a year old, but not since." Nathan explained.  
  
"Good plan Scott." Tim said. "I'll call some of the guys, and we'll have it there. What's the address?"  
  
"number 7 waterside drive." Nathan said. "My dad gave me the key just in case things were way to bad at Lucas's house."  
  
Haley turned to Nathan. "Are you sure you want your beach house trashed? I've seen all those places on Waterside drive, they are worth a lot, and Tim's lot aren't the best at keeping teh house in good shape?"  
  
"Well there's not much there, it'll be fine." Nathan said.  
  
They got to the beach house a few minutes later, Tim's friends were waiting on the lawn. Nathan got out of the car and went to open the door. Haley turned to her best friend. "You really want to do this Luke? I really don't care if we take off and go to a movie or something, no one will miss me there."  
  
"What about your new boyfriend Nathan? I bet he'll miss you." Lucas shot back at her.  
  
"Lucas he's barely a person I can stand to be around for more than five minutes, I offered him a ride because he had no car, and didn't know where Tim lived. Besides, you need to get over yourself and live with the fact that he's your brother, and you might run into each other in a small town. Not to mention that you two live in the same house! And where did you get the idea that I liked him anyway?" Haley said  
  
"Well he obviously likes you Haley, I've seen him with you, he's always checking you out." He was really mad now. "Are you really that blind and stupid. Or do you like the attention?"  
  
Haley was really mad now, she got out of the car and went inside.  
  
"Hey Haley," Called the farmiliar, and half drunk voice of Tim. "Want a drink?"  
  
"Sure Tim, why not?" She replied.  
  
One drink turned into two which turned into three which turned into enough to get her really drunk.  
  
She was barely able to stand up straight after a little while, and soon she went up to one of the rooms to lie down.  
  
Nathan was a little worried about Haley, he hadn't seen her for over an hour, and the party was starting to wind down. The last time he had seen her, she was already really drunk, and was still drinking more. It wasn't like he'd never seen a girl drunk, in fact, those two that Lucas hung out with Brooke and Peyton were both really drunk upstairs somewhere, but Haley was different, she didn't seem like the kind of girl who got drunk often.  
  
He ran into Lucas, who was looking for Peyton and Brooke. "have you seen Peyton or Brooke anywhere?" He asked, probably a little to out of it to realize that they hated each other.  
  
"No, I saw them both a little while ago, but they were going upstairs, I haven't seen them since." Nathan said. Lucas began to walk away when Nathan stopped him. "have you seen Haley?"  
  
"HMMMMM, nope," Lucas said happily, Ok so he was really out of it. "But if I see her, I'll tell her you are looking for her." He stummbled making his way upstairs.  
  
Nathan followed him up the stairs, but turned the other way. He heard a bunch of guys laughing. He got closer, he didn;t know these guys, but he had seen them at school.  
  
"hey guys, what's going on?" Nathan asked casually.  
  
"Oh, just playing a prank." one guy answered.  
  
"You better not be messing up the house." Nathan said, a little more concerned.  
  
"Nope, we're gonna take pictures of some girls Naked haha, want to join." This guy was drunk.  
  
Nathan got a little worried, since Peyton, Brooke, and Haley all couldn't be found, he pushed forward, to find all three of them in the room, so drunk they were practically passed out.  
  
At about that same time, Tim Lucas, and Jake came in. They saw Nathan trying to beat on all the guys at the same time, they saw The three girls and joined Nathan in the fight.  
  
They got the other guys to leave after they beat the crap out of them. As a sick joke, the guys had decided to burn Haley Peyton and Brooke's clothes in the fireplace.  
  
Nathan took off his sweater and put it on Haley, then he carried her to another room. Lucas and Tim gave The other two their shirts and put them into one of the other rooms.  
  
Jake had to go home, he didn't really give a reason why, but he had to go. Lucas knew why, but Nathan didn't, he was going to protest, but Lucas just said he had a good reason why.  
  
Tim stayed with Peyton, Nathan with haley and Lucas with Brooke. It was a long night.  
  
Chapter 4  
  
Haley Peyton and Brooke still hadn't woken up yet, Lucas, Tim and Nathan had been up for over an hour.  
  
Nathan was going back upstairs when Lucas stopped him on the stairway. He sat down, and Nathan took teh hint to do the same.  
  
"I just wanted to say that what you did last night, for Haley, Peyton and Brooke was pretty cool." Lucas said.  
  
"It just wasn't right for them to do that to them." Nathan began. " know you think i'm some spoiled rich jerk, who doesn't care about what happens to someone else just as long as I get something out of it, but I'm not, I wouldn't just stand around as a bunch of guys treat three girls like crap."  
  
"Yeah, i just wanted to say that your not all bad." Lucas said with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.  
  
"Well I just wanted you to know, that you are." Nathan joked.  
  
They both began to laugh. It was a weird but, good moment for both of them.  
  
They both went into the seperate rooms that Haley and Brooke were in.  
  
When Nathan got inside the room she was still asleep, but he decided to stick around anyway.  
  
Haley felt like a ton of bricks had fallen on her. She couldn't figure out where she was, she stirred a little bit, then realized she wasn't wearing her clothes.  
  
She flipped out. She needed to know what had happend the night before. She looked around the room. To her surprise, and slightly to her horror, she saw Nathan Scott sitting at teh desk next to.  
  
"oh my gosh, what happened?" She asked him, he jumped, not realizing she had woken up.  
  
"Yeah it looks bad doesn't it?" Nathan said.  
  
"A little bit, me in your sweater, with nothing else on, and you with no shirt on. I want to know what happened." She was getting mad.  
  
"A couple guys decided to strip you and Peyton and Brooke just for fun. I found out, then Lucas, Tim, Jake, and I beat teh crap out of them. We couldn't find your clothes, so i just took off my shirt and put it on you, then carried you to this room to go to sleep." He explained.  
  
"Oh," Haley said surprised.  
  
"Yeah I know I know, your thinking that it couldn't have been me because I'm Nathan Scott, the jerk from New York." He hated that she had that image of him.  
  
"Well yeah, but now I know the real you,your really a sweet guy." Haley said with a smile. " but I won't tell anyone."  
  
"Good, you would be giving away my cover" he joked.  
  
"That would be tragic." she said, then paused, "I feel so sick."  
  
"Yeah, you were really drunk." Nathan said. "Why'd you let yourself have that much anyway?"  
  
"I had gotten into a fight with Lucas in the car after you got out, and I was really angry. So when some guy offered me a drink I took, it." haley said. "How terrible am I?"  
  
"You're not, I've seen girls get drunk for things less than that." He said.  
  
Haley patched things up with Lucas later, he wasn't really even mad anymore, but he still let her apologize.  
  
"You know Haley, I wasn't even mad anymore," he said as she finished talikng "I was just happy that you are OK."  
  
"Thanks for that too." Haley said.  
  
"I didn't do anything, it was all Nathan, he started the fight, and took you to the other room." Lucas replied.  
  
"He's not a bad person you know." Haley said  
  
"yeah, i was talking to him earlier, he isn't as bad as he comes off to be." Lucas replied. "actually I was going to ask him if he wanted to come and do movie night with us tonight. How does that sound to you?"  
  
"Sure, what's tonights pick?" Haley asked.  
  
"you choose." Lucas said.  
  
"Ummm let's see, why don't we ask Nathan." She replied.  
  
"Sure, I guess," he sounded upset.  
  
"Hey, you had the idea to invite him." Haley replied.  
  
"Alright, alright, I'll be nice." he said giving in.  
  
Haley smiled and they went to go talk to Nathan.  
  
"hey Haley, luke," Nathan said when they came up to them. "Still sick?"  
  
"Shut up." She relpied. "we wanted to know if you were up to watching a movie with us tonight. We do a movie night on Saturday nights."  
  
"That's really cliche" Nathan said with a laugh.  
  
"yeah I know, the dawson Joey, dawson's creek thing is cliche, but we do it anyway." Haley said sarcasitcally.  
  
"Sure I'll come, what's tonight's pick?" Nathan asked.  
  
"That depends on what you want to watch." Haley said. "we decided to let you pick. Right Luke."  
  
"Well she deicded, I reluctantly agreed." He joked.  
  
"OK, how about we watch.... I dunno, 2 FAST 2 FURIOUS." Nathan said.  
  
"Well, OK," Haley said, "but I will pick next week then."  
  
"OK sounds good." Nathan and Lucas said at the same time. It was creepy.  
  
That night Haley and Lucas had the movie and were ready to watch it, Nathan said he was going to be a few minutes, so the two of them were talking.  
  
"Do you like him Hales?" Lucas asked.  
  
"Sure, he's a nice guy." She replied.  
  
"No, do you like him?" He asked again.  
  
"You know, I think I kinda do, don't tell him though. But maybe I just want to be his friend, I'm not sure. But yeah I think I do." she argued with herself.  
  
"Cool, I won't tell him, and I won't kill him either" Lucas laughed. "But I am going to go get him."  
  
"OK I'll stay and eat all the popcorn." Haley said joking.  
  
When he got to Nathan's room, the door was a little bit opened, Lucas heard something he didn't want to.  
  
"Sure Adam, there are girls here" he paused "No, none are really worth dating." pause. "Well I guess there is one, she is you know, nice." pause. "No, I still am dating Amber" pause "I know she wouldn't care, she's probably been with otehr guys anyway." pause "well yeah I might go after this girl, but not for anything else." pause. "there's only one problem, if I break her heart, her best friend, my brother, will kill me." pause. "yeah he's OK, he's got skills on the court." pause. "But I better go, the three of us were gonna watch a movie, I'll see you sometime. Tell Amber that I don't car ethat your sleeping with her." pause. "how stupid do you think I am, I knew it was you. But I really have to go." pause "yeah bye."  
  
Lucas just stood at the door, not saying anything, Nathan walked out, saw Lucas and didn't say anything either.  
  
Chapter 5 -  
  
Nathan wasn't sure what Lucas had heard. and Lucas wished he hadn't heard.  
  
"What did you hear." Nathan asked.  
  
"You saying goodbye to some guy from most likely New York." Lucas lied.  
  
"OK, well lets go watch that movie." Nathan replied.  
  
They got back into the room where Haley was, but Haley wasn't there.  
  
There was a note on the bed that was written in haley's handwriting, Lucas recongnised it, and picked it up.  
  
it said:  
  
Nathan your a jerk, and Lucas you lied, and you have very thin walls in your house.  
  
"So you lied" Nathan said angry.  
  
"So did you, except I didn't let a girl believe I liked them, then let her hear you on the phone talking about your girlfriend. Get out of my house." Lucas yelled at him. "Go to your stupid summer home."  
  
"Better than here." Nathan yelled as he turned to his room.  
  
A few minutes Later, Nathan had all his stuff and was leaving.  
  
He got to the beach house half an hour later, it had begun to rain half way there, and by the time he was there, it was turning to sleet and snow. because he had to walk. When he got there, he found Haley on the front step.  
  
"Hey," he said.  
  
"hey." she replied.  
  
"What are you doing here? I figured you hated me because I lead you on, and didn't tell you I had a girlfriend." he asked.  
  
"I don't hate you because you have a girlfriend, and i don't care that you didn't tell me, all I really care about is that you were going to use me for sex." haley said.  
  
"OK, so I was a jerk, that still doesn't really explain why your here." he replied.  
  
"I left my purse here." she said.  
  
"And you remembered now?" he asked.  
  
"well not really, earlier I figured I would use it as a way to be here with just you. But now, I just want my stuff." she said looking down at the step.  
  
"OK come on in, you have a thin sweater on and it just started to snow." Nathan said holding the door open for her.  
  
"No I'll wait." Haley replied.  
  
"Haley, I know your stubborn, but you are also going to get pneumonia so get inside, I'm not kidding."  
  
she steped inside.  
  
They went into the otehr room, and Haley found her wallet.  
  
"Do you have a ride?" asked Nathan.  
  
"No, but I'll walk." she replied. It was really awkward.  
  
"OK, I wasn't going to let you sit outside in the snow, so why on earth would I let you walk in it?" Nathan was really concerned for her. "at least call someone."  
  
"no, I can walk." Haley said.  
  
"I won't let you." He was not backing down. "I'm not going to find out tomorrow morning that you died in some alleyway because you walked home."  
  
"Nathan that never happens, you watch too much TV." She replied jokingly.  
  
"No Haley, a friend of mine was in the hospital for a month last year because he froze out in the cold. You aren't going anywhere without a ride."  
  
"Then I'm not going anywhere. Because I don't want someone to drive me home." she said. "I'm going to go take a shower. I'm freezing and I'm soaked."  
  
"See now you admit to being cold. The washroom's jsut down the hall. I'll see if I can find something for you to put on. I found a bunch of things that people have left here over teh years, I'm sure something will fit you." and he walked off.  
  
She took a short shower then came out to find Nathan sitting in front of the TV. He noticed her, she was in a towel, he nodded his head toward a pair of pajamas that he had found. "They look pretty warm, they're all I could find, unless you've gained about 200 punds in the lsat ten minutes."  
  
She went back to the bathroom, put on the pajamas and came out to watch TV.  
  
"So, what's on?" She asked.  
  
"Just watching an old 007 movie." he replied.  
  
"Cool, I'm into the 007 movies," she lied. He looked at her with a funny look. "OK, OK, so I've only seen die another day, the others are totally lost to me."  
  
He laughed. Moved over a bit on the couch and lifted the quilt he had on him for her. She sat down and leaned on him.  
  
"Haley, I'm sorry." He said out of the blue during a commercial break.  
  
"Yeah me too." she said.  
  
"Why are you sorry, you didn't do anything?" he asked.  
  
"I'm sorry for myself, because I really saw us with something." she said. "but I was wrong, I was just the girl when your girlfriend wasn't around." she paused. "Actually Nathan, I'm not going to do this, make myself feel bad because you did something stupid-"  
  
He cut her off by kissing her, he couldn't take it anymore screw Amber, screw his New York life, he wanted to date Haley, he only wanted to sound cool to his friend earlier. It didn't matter to him anymore, he couldn't explain it, but Haley was able to make him want to stay here, and change how he acted and who he was. She could do that to him, and he didn't care.  
  
She stopped him, "what about-" he put his hand to her lips.  
  
"Just forget about it all Haley, just be here, with me now."  
  
Chapter 6-  
  
They had fallen asleep there, the TV still on. It was that, that woke up Haley the next morning.  
  
"Hey, Hales." Nathan said, startling Haley.  
  
"Hey." she said, curling up to him more. "How long have yuo been up?"  
  
Just now, that's it." he said.  
  
"We better get up, it is 10 o'clock already." Haley said.  
  
"You get up to early, stay in bed." Nathan said.  
  
"I can't I've got to get myself ready for tomorrow." Hale said.  
  
"What's tomorrow?" Nathan asked.  
  
"None of your business." haley joked.  
  
"Fine, well if you not going to tell me, or come back here and curl up with me, I guess I could go take a shower." Nathan sighed.  
  
"Good because you stink." Haley laughed.  
  
Nathan wrapped his arms around her and began to tickle her. "What was that Miss James?"  
  
Haley, while laughing spat out. "Okay, okay, I take it back."  
  
"OK, i'll be a few minutes. Unless you want to join me?" he said hopefully.  
  
"Oh go shower Scott." Haley said.  
  
She went over to her clothes which were dried by the fireplace overnight. Put her clothes back on and sat down on the couch.  
  
After a few seconds Nathan's cell phone rang.  
  
"Nathan, do you want me to get your phone?" Haley called to him.  
  
"Yeah, I'll be out in a minute." he called back.  
  
"Hello." said Haley into the phone  
  
"Hello, who am I speaking to?" asked the voice.  
  
"Haley, and I'm speaking to?" she said back.  
  
"Amber, Nathan's girlfriend." Amber said with a snotty voice.  
  
"OK, well he's busy can I take a message?" Haley said sweetly.  
  
"No, I can wait." Amber said.  
  
"Sure, go ahead." and Haley sat the phone down on the table.  
  
Nathan came back in the room two minutes later. "Who was on the phone?"  
  
"Amber, she's waiting." she pointed toward the phone.  
  
Nathan's eyes widened. "Hello." he said into the phone.  
  
"Who is Haley, and why is she at your house?" Amber yeleld into the phone.  
  
"Oh don't play innocent with me, you are sleeping with Adam. And who knows who else." Nathan said annoyed.  
  
"Who told you that Nathan?" she said trying to sound sweet.  
  
"Adam, so don't try to lie, and don't bother calling me anymore." Nathan replied.  
  
"So your aloud to cheat and sleep with otehr girls but I'm not?" Amber said.  
  
"I don't care who you sleep with, in fact I don't care about you at all." Nathan said.  
  
"Ar... are we breaking up?" she said.  
  
"Yes. Goodbye Amber," ans he hung up.  
  
"Sorry about that, he said to Haley.  
  
"No problem I found it amusing." She replied.  
  
"Oh did you." and he began to tickle her again.  
  
It had been a month, since the day in the beach house. It was december, and almost Christmas. Nathan and Haley weren't exclusive, but not a guy in the school would ask Haley out because they knew she was in a way Nathan's girl.  
  
"Guess who?" asked a farmiliar voice as they covered Haley's eyes.  
  
"I wonder Nathan" she said sarcastically.  
  
He turned her around and gave her a kiss.  
  
"what are you up to..... we still have one period left, and you are leaving?" he said.  
  
"I have a spare." she said.  
  
"So do I, but why don't you come to the library with me." he said. "We can find an empty corner." he joked.  
  
"tempting, but there's somewhere I have to be." she said.  
  
"Is this that secret place yuo go all the time?" he asked.  
  
"Yes" she replied, walking down the hallway.  
  
He followed her. "Come on tell me."  
  
"Come with me, we need an audience, you ca do it for us." she said, the thoguht just coming to mind. "and I could use a ride, you can drive me in your new car your da sent you. You spoiled brat"  
  
"Alright I will." he said.  
  
They walked out to the parking lot.  
  
"Can I drive?" asked Haley "We'll get here faster since I don't think you've ever been there."  
  
"sure," and he threw her the keys.  
  
They pulled up in front of the Tree Hill jr high.  
  
"why are we here?" asked Nathan.  
  
"I am running the drama and dance christmas production this year for extra credit." she said. "besides, the kids are great."  
  
Nathan stopped "how about if I pick you up afterward?"  
  
"what's wrong?" asked Haley.  
  
"I don't want to watch a bunch of kids dance and sing and act." he replied.  
  
"It's fun" he shook his head. "Please?" he shook his head again. "For me?" he sighed.  
  
"You better make up for this." he said while pulling him toward her.  
  
"I will" she said and she gave him a kiss on the lips.  
  
"Hehehehehe" laughed a bunch of junior high kids. "Haley!" they called.  
  
"Hey guys." she said, breaking free of Nathan. "ready for a practise? I got you an audience today." she motioned toward Nathan.  
  
"He's only here because you are, he probably doesn't even want to be here." said a mouth grade eight kid.  
  
"What you guys never seen two people kiss before? Doo girls still have cooties James?" Joked Haley. the kid turned pink and they all went inside.  
  
It was halfway through the rehersal.  
  
Nathan was bored out of his mind, Haley noticed.  
  
"OK guys, go and take a break, I want you all in here in fifteen minutes OK?" Haley called to them tehy all left. SHe turned to Nathan. "I know I know, your bored."  
  
"A little, but right now we have fifteen minutes." he said with a wink.  
  
Haley sat down on the back of the chair in front of him. "yes we do."  
  
He pulled her onto him. "That's better" he said just before he kissed her again.  
  
"Nathan, they'll be in here in like two minutes." Haley said.  
  
"Then we have two minutes." he joked as he went to kiss them again.  
  
"Why don't you go into that room there." Haley pointed to a door that the label sign had come off of.  
  
He went to the door, and opened it to find the gym. He smiled, went over to some of the boys who played on their school team, the tigers. Haley watched from the doorway as Nathan was welcomed into the game. Now he was happy.  
  
Haley went back into the other room.  
  
Nathan was having a blast, he remembered grade seven and eight, he had a ablst playing ball.  
  
"Hey who are you?" yelled a coach just as Nathan shot a perfect three pointer.  
  
"Sorry sir, I'm Nathan Scott, my friend is running the christmas show, and I just came in and saw the boys playing and I wanted to join." Nathan explained.  
  
"Coach he's awesome, he lays on the raven's team that my brother plays on, he is so good." one boy spoke up.  
  
"Thanks kid" Nathan said.  
  
"Well, do you have spares at the same time as your friend in the theater?" asked the coach.  
  
"Yeah, why?" asked Nathan.  
  
"We practise at the same time as them, I could use a assistant coach, I won't ask you to skip your games or practises, but it would be a good opportunity for college records." said the coach.  
  
"Sure, when do you guys play?" asked Nathan.  
  
"wednesday nights. And practise at all teh same times as the theather kids." answered the coach.  
  
"Sure my practises are tuesday's and thursday's, and games friday"  
  
"cool, go tell your friend that you will be working here from now on, I'm sure she wont mind" the coach said.  
  
He ran to teh theater and explained to Haley.  
  
After they left that day Nathan was happy.  
  
"You know, your having a bad influence on me." Nathan said sarcastically.  
  
"Bad?" asked Haley  
  
"Yeah, because of you I'm becoming a good guy. Doing well in school and helping out young kids, your going to ruin my image." he joked.  
  
"well good them." she said. and gae him a kiss on the cheek.  
  
She really was such a great girl, Nathan thought. She is amazing, and my family and old friends will see me as a new guy when I go back to New york......then he looked at Haley..... No, If I go back. And he smiled.  
  
Chapter 7  
  
Nathan and Haley had been doing their work at the school for a week now, they were both having a great time, Nathan was doing a great job as a coach for the junior high boys team, and Haley had been asked to work with the kids full time after the Christmas show, and both of them were going to be given credits for school for it. It was an easy and fun way to get marks for school.  
  
"Scott." called the coach of the young boys team.  
  
"Yes sir?" asked Nathan.  
  
"I need you to run tomorrows practice, I have an appointment." replied the coach.  
  
"all alone?" Nathan was a little worried.  
  
"Yeah you'll do fine." Said the coach.  
  
"Alright coach Hammound." he said.  
  
"Haley!" called Nathan.  
  
"What?" she said, after the rehersal.  
  
"The coach is making me run tomorrows practise. He told me after the game today. Which by the way, we won." he said worried, but proud.  
  
"First, congratulations, the team is doing a lot better since you came to help out. Second, you'll do fine. And third, I will be able to watch, our rehersal tomorrow is cancelled because the two leads are both going to appointments too." Haley said happily. "I'll be there to help."  
  
"Yeah because you know so much about basketball." he laughed. Then did a quick change of subject. "So what are your plans for Christmas?"  
  
"Oh, well my entire family is getting together to go to my brother Josh's house-" he thought she ws done.  
  
"So that'll be fun, an old fashioned family Christmas." he said.  
  
"Yeah, but I'm not going." she replied. "My parents decided that everyone going will pay for themselves. Well except for my brother Henry, because he is their favorite and he doesn't have a job." She was angry.  
  
"That sucks." he paused. "why don't you come to my parents house with me. We aren't really into the all family Christmas, they'll love to meet you."  
  
"Are you sure." he nodded. "alright I will, I know you are flying, but I'll drive down, and get there a little later."  
  
"Or I could drive with you." he smiled.  
  
"I can do it, don't worry." she replied.  
  
Nathan had a thought. His ticket was first class, he could exchange it for two cheaper ones, and they could fly together. He thought about that for a minute, then his thought drifted to the two of them in a airplane washroom. Haley broke the silence, and his daydream. "Hello, earth to Nathan." she said.  
  
"Sorry, just thinking about home. My da had to get special permission." he laughed.  
  
"Oh cool, good to know he cares." she replied.  
  
Sure nathan thought, his dad never cared, but he didn't want to bring Haley into his problems.  
  
It was the next day and they were both at the practise, Nathan seemed to be working them hard, but she figured that from all the yelling she would hear from the gym on a regular basis that the other coach was too.  
  
"OK guys, now I want you all to do a skrimage, split into two groups, and sub off because you will have too many." Nathan yelled.  
  
"OK Nathan, or coach, or what do we call you?" asked one boy.  
  
"Either is fine." replied Nathan  
  
They had played for a few minutes. Nathan was standing over by Haley who was sitting on a chair near the door. He was writing down on a clip board he had.  
  
Haley figured the guys were playing pretty good, but Nathan was getting angry. "Guys, that is some of the worst playing I've seen you do since I got here. We are going to do drills for the rest of practise, or until you all shape up." he yelled.  
  
He had the boys running and dribbling and doing drills forever. One of the smaller boys ended up being tripped by one of the bigger boys Nathan ran up to him and grabbed his shirt to lift him up.  
  
"What are you doing? Shape up Jeffery, I don't care if you keep falling over, keep up with everyone else-"  
  
Haley cut him off, ripped Nathans hand off of the boys shirt. "Nathan," she yelled. "He's eleven, drop it. You are working them all to hard. just let them playi before they're all hurt."  
  
"Haley, you don't know anything about basketball, don't tell me how to run my team. I know how to run my son's life" he paused with a look of horror on his face. " oh my god." he said quietly and ran out of the gym.  
  
Haley went to follow, but then realized there were a bunch of young boys mor confused than her.  
  
"Ma'am, he isn't my dad," said Jeffery.  
  
"I know, don't worry kido, why don't you guys go change." she began.  
  
"We can't, our parents won't be here for another half an hour." said one of the boys.  
  
"OK, I'll watch you guys skrimage. But only if you rpomise me one thing OK?" she said.  
  
"Sure what?" asked a boy.  
  
"That you guys don't go home and tell your parents that Nathan was being a Jerk, he's under a lot of pressure, and if he gets into any trouble here in Tree Hill, he will be sent to jail, and I don't want that." Haley said. "Can you promise me that."  
  
no one said everything. finally Jeffery spoke up. "He wasn't yelling any more than our other coach, and he never hurt me at all, we won't say anything will we guys."  
  
"Of course not," said one boy, "Usually Nathan has to stop our oter coach from yelling, I think he might have gotten to wrapped up in the practise, and all his power."  
  
"You're too smart. Thanks you guys. This will mean a lot to him, are you sure you're OK?" Haley asked Jeffery.  
  
"Fine, but why is he in so much trouble?" asked Jeffery.  
  
"He got in trouble at his old home, and he was told to come stay here."  
  
"OK, guys, let's get back to skrimage." said one boy.  
  
And they went to play. Haley stayed around teh whole rest of the practise, she loved to watch them play, but she was worried about Nathan.  
  
"OK all of you go change your parents are here. But meet them in the hal, I'm locking the gym." Haley said.  
  
She locked up the gym and just as she was going to go find Nathan a boys dad stopped her.  
  
"Who are you?" asked the man.  
  
"I was filling in for the coaches, one had an appointment, and the other had a personal issue to deal with. I have to go." she replied nicely.  
  
"Girl's shouldn't coach a guys team." he said and he turned away. Haley was to worried for Nathan to stick around.  
  
"Hey." Haley said as she came across Nathan outside the school by the bike racks. "You mind me asking what that was about?" she asked as she curled up next to him.  
  
He sighed. "I got angry, they weren't even playing bad, but I flipped out, I got power hungry. As soon as those words I said about my Son I saw a day I had with my dad when I was younger. He was being jsut like that, yelling, and then I fell and he grabbed my shirt and pulled me up like that. My mom, just like you with me, tried to stop him. He didn't listen, he yelled at her, and then he kept at it with me. I just got so scared because I was becoming my dad, and I hate the pressure he puts me under. I'm gonna quit."  
  
"No your not." Haley said. "Those boys need you, they told me that you are the one who keeps the head coach from being even more angry than you were. They need you."  
  
"Alright, but they will tell the school, the other coach and their parents." Nathan said. "And I'll go to jail."  
  
"No I had them promise that they wouldn't tell. They all agreed. It's OK, after this friday's theater show, we can have a nice long break together for Christmas." Haley replied. And she gave him a kiss on the lips. "We both need a break." she said in a flirty voice.  
  
"Breaks are good." he said in equally a flirty voice.  
  
The night of the show Haley was so busy, but evrything worked out fine. One girl forgot about two lies, but that was the only problem, but it all worked out because the boy who was the one talking to her, just kept it going well.  
  
Haley ran into Nathan afterward. SHe was so happy.  
  
"Great job Hales, that was amazing." He said, as he pulled her into a hug.  
  
"Thanks." She replied.  
  
"Hey you two," It was Lucas and Brooke. "Sorry to bother you, but we had to say. Haley that was awesome, you did a great job." Lucas said.  
  
"Sure big bro, like the two of you watched any of it." Nathan laughed. The two of them, with the help of everyone, were now the closest of friends.  
  
"Big bro?" asked an unfarmiliar voice to Haley behind them.  
  
They all turned. "Adam?" said Nathan shocked. "You know I'm home tomorrow right?"  
  
"Yeah, but I got a ticket here last minute, and another ticket to go home first class, the seat next to you tomorrow." the guy replied. "Who are all these punks?" he said in a non-joking voice.  
  
"We are his friends, the kind of friends who wouldn't ditch him in a convenience store as we robbed it." said Brooke, always Brooke to be the one who would speak out.  
  
"Oh yeah. I'd let you run away from me anytime, especially if I could catch you." Adam said as he can right up to brooke and pintched her in the butt.  
  
"You peice of crap." yelled Lucas, and he started to beat on Adam.  
  
"Nathan!" yelled Haley and Brooke.  
  
He pulled Adam off of his brother and pinned him against the wall. "You have no right to come here and make jokes about my friends, or start hitting on their girlfriends, you have no right at all." He yelled at Adam.  
  
"You've changed Nate, your just as much of a punk as the rest of these guys, and their little.... well you can't call them girl friends-"  
  
Brooke and Haley let Lucas go, and Him and Nathan both began to beat on this guy. four teachers at the school had to break it up, and he threw the three of them out.  
  
Adam went off to his rental car and drove to a nearby hotel. Nathan took Haley to his car. he got in and opened the door for Haley. He leaned his head against the stearing wheel. "I'm sorry Hales. I never meant for that to happen, but I just flipped when he started to say stuff about you and Lucas and Brooke-"  
  
"I know. I was there." Haley said. "I'm not mad at you, you were fighting, whiched sucked, but I do feel pretty good that you would do that for me." And she curled up next to him.  
  
"Ow!" he said, "Sorry, my arm hurts."  
  
"OK," and she leaned back.  
  
When they were right in front of her house Nathan stoped her, "I have something for you." but at eh same time she said "I need to tell you something."  
  
"Go ahead." he said.  
  
"So my parents knew I was mad about not going, so they went and bought me a ticket for a present." She was happy. "I get to go have my old fashioned Christmas." she smiled "So what were you going to say?"  
  
"Oh, nothing" he was surprised, but happy for her. She got what she wanted. But he now had two tickets for the trip tomorrow. Then it hit him, he had put the ticket in her purse at the show. He couldn't get it out without her knowing.  
  
"OK," she said, surprised, "I'll go with you to the airport tomorrow, OK?"  
  
"Yeah." he said trying to sound happy.  
  
She got inside, then realized that she had something sticking out of her purse. She opened the envelope and found a note and a ticket she read the note.  
  
Dear Hales.  
  
I exchanged my first class ticket for two in the coach class, so you don't have to drive.  
  
Luv Ya  
  
Nathan.  
  
She was really surprised, but she felt bad. He had gone so far out of his way so she could have a good trip, then she went and ruined it for him.  
  
It was the next day, It was last call for Nathan's flight. Haley never came, he was sad not to see her, but he just figured that she didn't want to come and get him all upset that she wasn't coming. But there was a good thing to his exchanging the tickets. He didn't have to sit by Adam.  
  
He got to his seat. The seat that was Haley's had a jacket on it. He deicded that she must have gone to the airport earlier and cancelled her flight. He sat down and turnd on his headphones.  
  
Someone tapped him on the shoulder a few minutes later. He turned his head just as she kissed him and slipped off his headphones.  
  
"What are you doing here?" asked Nathan.  
  
"I figured my old fashioned Christmas was nothing compared to Christmas with the guy that I'm falling in love with." She said as she sat down.  
  
"Yeah, and I'm glad my messed up family Christmas can be shared with me by the girl that I am in love with." He said and he kissed her again.  
  
Chapter 8 -  
  
Haley hated flying, she was a little when she got on the plane, but now she was almost horrified.  
  
"Haley calm down, what's wrong?" Asked Nathan  
  
"Nothing Scott." She replied.  
  
"Sure Haley, your shaking" he put his hand in hers and immediately she squeezed his.  
  
He clenched his teeth, she was strong when she was scared. SHe noticed. "Sorry Nate, I just don't do flying very well." she said.  
  
"It's OK, you'll be fine, nothing will happen to you, we will be fine, the weather isn't that bad, and these planes hardly ever crash." he said trying to cheer her up.  
  
"Your not helping Nathan." she replied.  
  
"Sorry," he mummled.  
  
The flight went fine, Haley was OK about halfway through after she fell asleep.  
  
They went to go get their luggage. They had all of it except Haley's bag.  
  
"oh great, what else could go wrong." Haley was feeling like crap, and wasn't happy.  
  
She spoke too soon. Just then a bunch of people who all knew Nathan started to yell his name and run towrd them. Adam was with them, but he didn't seem to happy.  
  
"Nate, man how you doing? Haven't seen you since October, you said you'd visit." said a guy named Justin.  
  
"Yeah but you know, if I left that place back in North Carolina, I would be in jail." Nathan said, trying to at cool.  
  
Haley was a little sick of it. "Nathan I'm going to go report my baggage." she said, and left.  
  
When she came back the crowd was still hanging around Nathan.  
  
"Hey Hales where'd you go?" asked Nathan.  
  
"To go report my bags." she replied.  
  
"Oh ok." he replied feeling bad for her. "So you want to meet everyone?"  
  
"Sure." she replied.  
  
"This is Theresa, Kristina, Greg, Justin, that's Jennifer, and Amber, and these three over there are Frank, Will, and Todd." he said pointing to each of them. "but yeah, we better get going."  
  
"yeah," cut in a girl with too much make-up and too little skirt, Haley figured it was Amber. "Nate, you go with the guys and Hermy over here can come with us girls."  
  
"Haley." said Haley, waiting for Nathan to say something against the idea, but he didn't.  
  
"Oh sorry," said Amber, not sounding sorry at all.  
  
Haley got into the pink car, it was her and a bunch of girls she didn't know, she hated Nathan at the moment, but she figured it was hard for him too.  
  
They drove following the guys for about ten minutes, then the girl driving drove into the parking lot of a convenience store.  
  
Amber and her friends turned around. "Ok, let's get one thing sraight Haley, Nathan is Amber's they have been dating for three years, and you have no right to just mess that up. Besides, do you really believe that Nathan is into you, he just needs a girl to keep him happy until he comes home." Said a girl with her name on a gold chain around her neck, Theresa.  
  
Haley just sat there not saying anything at all.  
  
"What, didn't hit you until now? Nathan isn't into you, he's always been into the girls out here, you're too small town innocent little girl." Said the girl Kristina with the same chain in her name.  
  
When they got to Nathan's house, the guys were already there, Haley almost gasped. it was huge, Half of Tree Hill could fit in their lot.  
  
She got out of the car and walked up to the house. She had no luggage, no friends here, and not even her boyfriend to help her out.  
  
She didn't care anymore, she was going to call her mom when she got inside, she would rent a car and drive to her brother's house if she had to.  
  
Nathan pulled her into an empty room of the house, she could already smell liquor on his breath.  
  
"Hales. I'm sorry, I didn't know they were going to be at the airport, I never told them." he said.  
  
"Nathan, I don't care that they were there, but I do care that you have completely blown me off since we got here. You didn't even help me when I lost my bags, now what am I going to wear this whole time?" She was angry.  
  
"Get Amber and Theresa and them to take you shopping." he said.  
  
"You mean the girls who threatened me, and told me that you would be leaving me within the next little while when you came home, those girls?" asked Haley.  
  
"Oh Haley I didn't know, I'm sorry." Nathan said. "Come on, I'll take you out for stuff today."  
  
"You know what Nathan, talk to me when your not getting drunk with your jerk off friends." Haley said.  
  
"Don't say crap about them, you don't know them." He was getting mad now, and Haley was a little afriad of drunk mad Nathan.  
  
"I'm going upstairs OK Nathan?" she put on a smile and gave him a kiss on the cheek.  
  
She went upstairs and went into the room that she figured was Nathan's because his bags were on the floor of it, and there were basketball trophies everywhere.  
  
The party went on for hours, even after Haley went to sleep.  
  
She woke up to find Nathan lying on the floor, she didn't know he was there until she ended up stepping on him.  
  
"Oh my gosh, Nathan I'm sorry." she said as she kneeled down beside him.  
  
"No I probably deserved it." He said. "I can't remember a thing after I got here yesterday, and no matter what it is, it can't be good."  
  
"Well you did treat me like crap- Oh wait, treating me like crap would actually have to involve paying attention to me at all." She was still mad. "Is this the real you Nathan?"  
  
"No, this is the New York me, and I hate the New York me. Please don't leave, please stay and spend Christmas with me." he said with his adorable smile.  
  
She smiled back at him. "Well how can I say no to the cute face, come on."  
  
he leaned up to kiss her but she pulled away. "Brush your teeth first, your breath smells like feet."  
  
"Thanks." he replied.  
  
"No problem." and she got up.  
  
Nathan went to go take a shower so Haley decided to go eat some breakfast.  
  
She got downstairs and ran into a blonde lady who looked way to young to be Nathan's mom, but it was.  
  
"Oh, sorry." she said.  
  
"Um... no problem, who are you?" asked the lady.  
  
"Oh, sorry, I'm Haley, Nathan invited me to spend Christmas here with you guys." she said.  
  
"So your the girl who has my son distracted all the time when I'm on the phone to him." she laughed. "i'm deb."  
  
"Hi, it's nice to meet you, but he didn't tell you i'd be here?" she was a little surprised.  
  
"Nope, but your always welcome here, oh and by the way, he is head over heels in love with you, you are all he can talk about"  
  
Haley blushed. Then her and Deb went to go eat, things were peaceful until Dan came down.  
  
"Who are you?" he said rudely.  
  
"Haley, Nathan's frien-"  
  
"oh, ok." he cut her off.  
  
Nathan came down a few minutes later "hey everyone." Haley resisted the urge to laugh because he had a major hangover and it showed.  
  
"Hey son," said Dan. "How is basketball season in Nowheresville North Carolina?"  
  
"Fine dad, I'm even coaching a boys team over at the junior high." Nathan replied, angry that his dad brought this up first  
  
"You're what?" Yelled Dan.  
  
Haley jumped.  
  
"Coaching junior high boys." Nathan replied, losing some of his anger, and he was backing down a bit.  
  
"You can't just go and mess up your season to make up for some other kids' season." Dan replied.  
  
"I'm playing better back in Tree Hill than I ever did here." Nathan replied.  
  
"That's because back there you have no competition." Dan Continued.  
  
"Sure I do, Lucas is better than all the guys on the team here." Nathan said.  
  
"Who?" Dan said, not catching on.  
  
"Your son!" Nathan yelled. "Haley do you want to go out for breakfast?"  
  
"Um.. sure." she replied. "But I have no clothes remember, my bags?"  
  
"You can wear a pair of my sweater, and a shirt OK?" he said.  
  
"Alright." Haley could feel it getting more and more tense in here by the second.  
  
Nathan turned away from his dad and to his mom. "Merry Christmas Mum." he said as he and Haley left.  
  
WHen tehy got outside Nathan let out a huge scream which although she expected, made Haley jump. Then he did something she never expected.  
  
He began to get tears in his eyes and sat down in the snow.  
  
"We're just going to have a great Christmas aren't we." he said. "sorry Haley."  
  
"No, I'm just glad to be here for you." she said. She took his hand and they went out to his car in the garage. "it'll be OK, don't worry." and she made him smile.  
  
Chapter 9  
  
Nathan And Haley had a perfect day together, seeing all the sites of New york city. When they got home they figured that they would be alone for the evening since Deb and Dan were gone to a party for the evening.  
  
They weren't. Nathan's friends had shown up and taken over the house, how they got in was a mystery, but they did.  
  
Haley decided to take her regular spot in Nathan's room and tried to avoid everyone for the whole night.  
  
Nathan woke up the next morning with his head throbbing. He heard Haley on the phone while sittting next her him in bed.  
  
"OK, so eleven o'clock......Yes, i'll have picked up the ticket by 10:30. Thanks." and she hung up the phone.  
  
Nathan turned to her. "who was that? where are you going?" he asked. It was then that he first saw the tears in her eyes.  
  
"No one and nothing, I've just decided to do the family Christmas thing in Boston afterall." she said in a strange tone. Then she looked him straight in the eye. "You can't remember can you?"  
  
"Remember what?" he asked as he put his hand on her shoulder.  
  
"Get off of me!" she screamed at him as she pulled away.  
  
"Haley what is going on?" he asked again.  
  
her tears were falling steadily down her face now, She lifted up her left wrist. It was limp, and bruised.  
  
"Oh my gosh. Haley I did that? how? when?" he stuttered.  
  
"Last night I was bored again so I hid up here in your room. I came down to tell you I was going to sleep and you got fresh with me. so I mouthed off, at you, tehn at all your friends, so you got really mad. You grabbed my wrist extremely hard, I couldn't get you to let go. I have to bite you." She slid his arm out from under the covers revealing a bruised and cut area with indent of her teeth in it.  
  
He didn't know what to say. "Haley....I....I am.....I don't know what to say, words can't describe how much I want to die right now."  
  
"Good, because I wanted to die last night. I hate you Nathan. I hate you when your drunk, I hate how you can't stand up to those stupid so called friends of yours, but most af all I hate that I've tried so hard to get you back on track, but you just throw it all away. I'm leaving Nathan, I don't care anymore, this time you're on your own." she yelled at him. But then burst into tears because she didn't hate him, she loved him, she hated herself for not being able to help him. but tehn she shifted again and she moaned in pain.  
  
"what is it?" he asked.  
  
"Nothing." she replied, but the look on his face said he knew that she was hurt somewhere else. she slid up the side of her shirt over another much bigger bruise. "I guess you didn't like that I bit you."  
  
He bowed his head down. "Do you need a ride?"  
  
"I can take a cab, it's OK." she replied.  
  
"No, I'll drive you, cabs are expensive here." he replied.  
  
They got downstairs to find a few of the guests from the night before had returned all ready for another day of this crap.  
  
"Hey Nathan," Called Adam, they had obviosly regained friendship when Haley wasn't around. "I brought you some inported beer, this stuff is teh best. You can get drunk off half of one, so here's three." the guy laughed.  
  
Nathan stood there, three beers in his hand. "Screw this Adam!" he yelled at his friend, then chucked the three beers up against the wall. "Get yourself and all your crap out of my house Adam. Just go."  
  
As soon as Adam and his friends had left the house Nathan drove Haley to the bus station. He had decided to stick around because he couldn't let himself leave. She didn't want him to either.  
  
"Well that's my bus. I better go." she said as they called her bus.  
  
"Yeah, probably." he mumbled. "Haley can I say something to you? I'm sorry, not just for last night, but for everything, for changing and messing up what you had in life, for coming out of nowhere and making it all messed up for you. And I'm especially sorry for being able to protet you from everthing, except the thing that you needed protection from most, me."  
  
"Nathan I don't need you to protect me. I will be fine. All that you have to be sorry about is that you messed up. I tried to get you away from everything that your past had here. I tried to change it all and help you, but as soon as you are around them again it all is different. I don't matter, and everything that you've had for teh last two months is nothing. That's all you need to be sorry for." She said to him.  
  
"Haley you are my everything. Nothing made sense before you, nothing makes sense when your not around, and nothing will make sense if you leave. Without you I have nothing, without you I know nothing, without you I am mothing."  
  
"You shouldn't have said that." Haley said.  
  
"why not?"  
  
"Because now there is no way I can get on that bus." she replied.  
  
"You have to Haley, I can't protect you from this version of me. I can't let myself put you in danger like last night. I can't lose you like that." he exclaimed.  
  
"But if I go, I can't be happy, and you can't be happy, If I go, I'll really lose you, and all I've done for you will be for nothing. I can't give up on you like that." she replied.  
  
"Last call for bus 320 to Boston." boomed a voice over the loudspeaker. "last call."  
  
"You have to go Haley it's better for you." Nathan whispered to her.  
  
"I don't know if I can Nathan, I just can't leave you here." she replied. "what should I do," she asked looking him in the eye.  
  
"Do what's right in your heart." he replied.  
  
Chapter 10  
  
She couldn't do it. she just couldn't leave. He tried to get her to, but she refused.  
  
They got back to Nathan's house to find Deb very mad.  
  
"Nathan! look what all your drunk friends did to the living room." she yelled at him.  
  
"Yeah I know... I'm really mad I sent them out this morning." he replied.  
  
Deb gave her son a strange look. "Why?" she finally asked.  
  
"Because, I'm not being a very good person around them, I hate myself around them." he replied.  
  
Haley just then began to get tears in her eyes and when they began to run down her cheeks she ran out of the room. Deb turned to her son who also was getting an expression of sadness of his face. "What happened Nathan? Where were you?"  
  
"We were at the bus station, Haley wanted to go to Boston to do the family Christmas thing. I drove her, but made the mistake of actually talking to her, and then she refused to go, no matter how hard I tried to get her to go." Nathan replied.  
  
"Why did you want her to go?" Deb asked.  
  
"Because I can't protect her from me. And I'm all that she needs to be protected from." by now he was starting to cry, which wasn't normal for most guys, especially not a Scott guy.  
  
"Nathan, what happened?" Deb asked putting her arms around her son as they sat down on the couch.  
  
"I hit her. I was drunk and I hit her. But she wouldn't leave, she should have, but she wouldn't." He yelled out.  
  
He had woken his dad up. Dan, who also had a hangover walked past Haley on the stairs, he noticed she was crying but he didn't really care. He got down to the main level and went to fine Nathan.  
  
When he found them he got really mad. "What do you two think your doing. You woke me up. What the-"  
  
He stopped in mid sentence when he saw Nathan's face.  
  
"Since when did I raise you to be a little girl Nathan?" he yelled.  
  
"Shut up Dan." yelled Deb, "I'm serious, shut up and get out."  
  
"Why don't you just try and make me get out." Dan yelled.  
  
Nathan got mad he ran and pinned his dad up against the wall. "Get out Dad. Get out." he yelled, let go of his dad and Dan went into the kitchen.  
  
Haley had heard the whole thing from up in Nathan's room. Nathan came upstairs a few minutes later. He looked angry.  
  
"Are you OK Nathan?" she asked as she put her arms around him.  
  
"I'm OK. I just need some time to think." he said.  
  
"OK. I can take a hint, I'll go downstairs for a while." Haley replied as she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.  
  
She went downstairs and saw Deb and Dan sitting and not saying anything, at the table. Haley got some coffee and sat down.  
  
"So how did you sleep Haley?" asked Dan, trying to sound nice.  
  
"Alright, considering the situation." she replied. And by the look on his face Haley knew Dan didn't know.  
  
"Oh, OK." He replied.  
  
The three of them sat in silence for a little while. Deb broke the silence. "So Haley, what do you say about me and you going shopping today and getting you some clothes so you don't have to wear your one outfit, and Nathan's clothes?"  
  
"Sure Mrs. Scott." Haley replied. She really did need some clothes.  
  
"You can call me Deb." She laughed. "Mrs. Scott is so professional. And I can't really see us with a professional relationship."  
  
"Yeah, that's true." laughed Haley.  
  
So the two of them decided to do some shopping for the afternoon.  
  
Chapter 11 -  
  
"Oh i love that." Haley exclaimed as she looked at some tops in a store at the mall. she had already bought enough stuff for two trips, but she didn't care.  
  
They had been walking the malls for a few hours now. They were in a store that had guys and girls clothes. "what do you think of this for Nathan? you would know him better than me." asked Deb.  
  
"He'll like it yeah." she laughed. "He has so many clothes already though."  
  
"Yeah, that's all I ever know to buy him now. He never tells me anything that he would want." Deb laughed. "but who wants to tell their mom that?"  
  
"I know what he wants. I even had him make me a list. But i'm not buying him anything on it." Haley replied while digging in her purse.  
  
"Why not? do u already have something for him?" Asked Deb.  
  
"Not yet, but I know what I'm getting him. So yeah.. buy him whatever you want from this list." Haley said handing it to her.  
  
"Thanks. what are you getting him?" Asked Deb.  
  
"An expensive 24 karat gold watch with the number 23 engraved in it." Haley replied. "I have the watch, but I need it to be engraved. I was lucky too, because I had put the watch in with my baggage, but then decided to take it on the flight with me. I don't even know why but lucky I did."  
  
"Oh Haley that's so sweet, he'll love it." Deb replied.  
  
"He better, I paid three hundred bucks for that watch." Haley joked. Then the two of them went off for a snack at the food court.  
  
"Guess who?" said a voice as they covered Nathan's eyes.  
  
He grabbed her hads and pulled her toward him. "Hello Miss Haley how are you today?" he joked.  
  
"Well I'm not Haley but just fine." It was Amber.  
  
Nathan droped her hands immediately. "How did you get in here?" he asked coldly.  
  
"Your dad said you wanted to see me." she replied happily.  
  
"Well he lied, now go away." Nathan continued.  
  
"You always were a p-" she began, He cut her off.  
  
"Seriously go away." Nathan was angry now. He went to the door and opened it for her. "Bye."  
  
She gave him her sginature you suck look then left.  
  
"DAD!!!" yelled Nathan.  
  
Dan ran down the stairs. "what is it son?"  
  
"Why did you tell Amber I wanted her to come over, I don't like her, we broke up over a month ago." Nathan said calmly, but angrily.  
  
"I just figured yo should see some of your old friends who don't always get drunk. They are a good reason for you to say here."  
  
"What are you talking about dad?" Asked Nathan.  
  
"The judge who gave me permission to let you come here for Christmas also said that if I could show that you were back on track then you could stay here, go to your old school, play ball at your old school." Dan replied.  
  
"Well big deal, I'm not back on track when I'm here. I'm not going to stay." Nathan said.  
  
"Well Tree Hill isn't doing anything for you is it?" Dan asked.  
  
"Am I getting arrested there? Am I getting drunk there? Am I dad? Am I?" Nathan asked. "NO!!! I'm not, and I'm going back."  
  
Just at that moment Haley and Deb walked in.  
  
"Hi Nathan." Haley said awkwardly.  
  
"Hey." Nathan said. "what did you buy?" And they walked off.  
  
"Dan I'll kill you if you're trying to get him to come back and live here." Deb said to her husband.  
  
"He isn't doing any better, didn't you se him in the last few days." Dan said.  
  
"He wouldn't have been like that if you hadn't insisted that he come home for Christmas now would he?" Asked Deb.  
  
Dan didn't answer and he just walked away.  
  
"Wow Hales, you must have bought out teh whole mall." Nathan joked.  
  
"Well we left a little in the men's and kid's section." She replied sarcastically.  
  
"Good." He laughed. "Then the kids around the world wont be cold."  
  
"OK there Nate." Haley said as she layed down on his bed next to him.  
  
"Want to go have some dinner?" Nathan asked. "You can choose the restaurant."  
  
"Can't you smell that, your mom is cooking." Haley asked.  
  
"Yeah, I can smell it, my mom is cooking, so now we either leave or get food poisoning." Nathan replied.  
  
"I resent that Nathan." Said Deb as she came into the room. "Now I will make you eat it. Dinner's ready."  
  
Haley laughed at Nathan's face.  
  
No one really said a word at the table. Haley made a point to eat as fast as Nathan so she would be done as fast. This was actually a hard thing to do since Nathan could eat a lot really fast. But she did manage.  
  
Nathan went out after dinner and rented some movies for them. He rented The Matrix Reloaded for him and Home Alone for Haley becasue she requested it.  
  
"Wow Nathan I'm proud, you really rented it for me." Haley laughed when he came home.  
  
"Well I'll watch it but you have to watch Reloaded with me afterward." Nathan replied.  
  
"You know I'll fall asleep halfway through it." Haley replied.  
  
"Hmmmmm yep, but you will be lying next to me so who cares." he joked as he put in Home Alone.  
  
"OK, whatever Nathan." Haley said as she layed down under the covers next to Nathan.  
  
Chapter 12 -  
  
"Get up Haley." Said Nathan the morning of Christmas.  
  
"Nathan, it is sicx in the morning if you take any of these covers off of me I will kill you." she mumbled to him as he began to reach for them.  
  
He gave an evil smile and ripped them all off.  
  
"Cold, cold!" Haley screamed, as Nathan threw her a robe.  
  
She put it on lightly then unwillingly followed Nathan downstairs.  
  
She gasped at the sight of the living room it was covered with gifts.  
  
"WOW!" she exclaimed "Who's all this for?"  
  
"Well a long time ago, when I was like six my dad started the tradition of having a friend of his, and this guy's family over, so every year they come for gifts then dinner, now this other family has two young kids, and they still come here."  
  
"Hey kids." said an unfarmiliar voice to Haley.  
  
"Hey uncle Keith." Replied Nathan. "Keith, this is Haley, and Haley this is Keith, my uncle."  
  
"Nice to meet you." Haley replied.  
  
"You to." said keith.  
  
"Hey big brother." said Dan as he walked into the room him and Keith began a conversation. Haley turned to Nathan.  
  
"I'm going to change, I look like some girl you picked off the street in these pajamas, you should have told me there would be a ton of people here." she whispered.  
  
"Too late Hales." He replied as two young kids and a younger lady walked in.  
  
"Hello, Julia, Jamie, and Kirsten." Nathan said, he gave the lady a kiss on the cheek.  
  
"Hello Nathan." she replied. "Wow, I haven't seen you since summer, how's life in that new town?"  
  
"Good, I like it there." Nathan replied as he turned to Haley.  
  
"But you still miss us right?" asked a little girl about eight. "You didn't even come to my birthday for that I get two kisses, one for each cheek." And he gave her 2 kisses.  
  
"I couldn't kido, I would have." Nathan replied as he picked up the girl.  
  
The little boy began to tug on Nathan's pants. "natan, guess what? I wost my toof."  
  
"Yeah, your first tooth? good job little man." Nathan said. "and why don't you two go open those presents."  
  
He walked over to Haley.  
  
"who's she?" asked the little girl. "She wasn't invited to Christmas with us."  
  
"Yeah she is Jules, I invited her, this is Haley." Nathan replied.  
  
"But she still should not be changing our Christmas." and then the little girl went back to her gifts.  
  
"Sorry about her." Nathan said with a smile.  
  
"Oh she's adorable, the youngest member of the Nathan fan club. Now lets go open these gifts that you forced me out of bed for." Haley replied pulled him down to teh tree.  
  
The two of them were about halfway through all their gifts when Keith and Dan got into an arguement. Nathan didn't know what to do, he was the only other guy there. When the arguement became yelling Nathan saw the two little kids scared in the corner, still unsure what to do. But when his dad took a swing at Keith Nathan got up as fast as he could and tried to stop it.  
  
It didn't work to well, both of them were older and bigger than him, but between the two of them, Nathan was getting pretty beat up.  
  
His dad took on more sing at Keith and keth dodged it so the punch hit Nathan and Nathan fell into the tree.  
  
"Nathan!" screamed Haley.  
  
"oh that hurt." Nathan said almost instantly. He moved his jaw around, checked his nose for blood. It was bleeding, so Haley grabbed him some kleenex. "Sorry about the tree guys, I didn't mean it." Nathan added.  
  
"You didn't do it." yelled Deb, "now, if the two of you want to fight you don't do it in front of two young kids, or anyone else and you don't bring Nathaninto it. You let Nathan fall on a tree for crying out loud. If you want to fight, go onto the front lawn." neither of them moved.  
  
"Son are you OK?" asked Dan.  
  
"DAN! Outside, now!" Yelled Deb. After they went out she turned to Nathan. "You OK?" she asked.  
  
Julia came over with some ice from the kitchen. "He'll be fine, I'll take good care of him." she began, looked at all the people watching. "By myself."  
  
Haley and Deb exchanged glances but let her be, both of them found the look on Nathan's face to be priceless.  
  
Chapter 13 -  
  
Dan and Keith hadn't began to fight again after they went outside, they both felt terrible, Deb let them both in a half an hour later.  
  
Haley watched as Julia took care of Nathan all morning. She took advantage of the situation when Julia was torn away to go make a gingerbread house. Deb gave Haley a wink, as she called for Julia to help.  
  
"hey Nate, how ya feeling?" Asked Haley.  
  
"Like crap, and the fact that you let that little girl watch me all morning by herself made things worse." Nathan Joked.  
  
"Like I had a choice, if I went anywhere near you she flipped out at me." Haley laughed. "Your mom had to pry her away to go make a gingerbread house so I could have some time with you. How's your head?" She asked as she looked at the little Barbie bandages on him forehead. "love the barbie style on you Scott."  
  
"Yeah, she put them on, I'm fine, my head just kinda hurts. So how long do we have?" Nathan asked.  
  
"A little while." Haley flirted.  
  
"Good." Nathan replied as he pulled her towards him and kissed her gently on the lips.  
  
"Oh Nathan, what it with you being gentle with me lately. I'm fine." And she kissed him.  
  
They began to makeout on the couch when Julia came back up. She saw them and began to cry. Haley noticed her almost right away and jumped off of Nathan, he was confused until he saw her crying in the doorway. "Jules wait" He called to her.  
  
She ran out of the room. Nathan ran after her. She ran to her mom. "Mommy, Nathan was kissing the other girl." She cried to her mom. Haley felt terrible.  
  
"aww sweetie, Nathan is dating Haley." said her mother.  
  
"But, but, but, he is my boyfriend." the little girl replied.  
  
Nathan stayed silent.  
  
"No sweetheart, he is too old for you, he needs to date girls who are his age, like Haley." Her mom replied.  
  
"You're so mean!" Julia yelled at Nathan. He felt terrible.  
  
"Julia wait let me explain." Nathan began but she cut her off.  
  
"You are a jerk Nathan. I hate you." She said as she ran out of the room, almost running into Keith as she ran out.  
  
The group of people in the kitchen were all silent except for the Jamie who was himming jingle bells while eating the candies left over.  
  
That night at dinner Kirsten had to bribe Julia to come down for dinner. They were all sat down when Haley's phone rang.  
  
"Sorry, excuse me." She said as she stepped out of the room, she could ahve arown that Dan had said something about rudeness.  
  
"Hello?" she asked into the phone.  
  
"hey hales." It was Lucas.  
  
"Hey, Luke, what are you up to?"  
  
"Not much just finished dinner." he replied. "You?"  
  
"Just started dinner." She replied.  
  
"Sorry do you want me to let you go then?" asked Lucas.  
  
"No, this dinner is terrible, Dan Hates me, A little girl who has known Nathan forever, and has the biggest crush on him, hates me because I kissed him in front of her, I need a break."  
  
The two of them talked for a few minutes until haley finished the conversation saying she better go.  
  
When she got back to the table it was dead quiet, all talking had stopped.  
  
"So who was on the phone Haley?" asked Deb.  
  
"It was, well um." She didn't know what to say. Nathan saw her and knew, he gave her a nod to say it. "It was Luke." She replied.  
  
"See Nathan, she has another boyfriend she is a jerk." Said Julia.  
  
"No kiddo, Luke is my brother. Haley's best friend." Nathan replied.  
  
Dan choked on his Turkey. Haley had to force herself to not laugh, but when Deb laughed she began to also.  
  
"You have a brother?" Asked Julia.  
  
"Yeah he lives in Tree Hill, where I've been for the last two months. But he's got a girlfriend too." Nathan added when he saw the girl's face. He wondered if all girls where like this at eight.  
  
"Oh ok." she replied then went back to her food.  
  
The rest of the dinner was in silence, not one person said a thing, it was way too awkward.  
  
After dinner Haley and Nathan were up in his room joking about dinner. "Did you see your dad's face, I thought he was going to blow up after you asid 'my brother.'" Naley said  
  
"I know, but i found it more hilarious to see both you and my mom try to stop from laughing." nathan exclaimed.  
  
They joked about dinner for a little while. When Kirsten and the kids were going to leave they went down to say goodbye, then Haley went upstairs with Nathan.  
  
"OK, so now can we exchange our personal gifts?" He asked.  
  
"Yes, I'll go first." Haley replied as she pulled out a big jewlery box.  
  
Nathan opened it, it was amazing, it must have been a three hundred dollar watch. He didn't even notice the numbers engraved in it until a few mintues later. "hales it's awesome. I love it." he said as he gave her a kiss. He couldn't figure anything else to say.  
  
His turn now, he pulled out two jewlery boxes. She opened the first. It was a beautiful white gold necklace with a charm on the end. The charm was of a little heart locket with a keyhole in it. there was a note inside. it said 'this is my heart.'  
  
She opened the next one and inside it was a small key that was in a small gold box. the note in this one said. 'and this is the key to it.' Haley was speechless. It was so beautiful. All she could do was kiss him.  
  
"Open the locket." Nathan whispered. Haley did, inside was their initials on one side, and a picture of the two of them from the night of the Christmas pagent on the other.  
  
"This is so beautiful." she finally said. "You never told me you were this sweet."  
  
"Well I had a little help from the lady at the store, but I had it engraved and I did the rest of it." Nathan said with a hint of proudness in his voice.  
  
"You deserve special thanks for this Nathan." haley flirted and winked.  
  
Nathan was a little surprised, he had never expected this. "Yeah and what's that?" He flirted back.  
  
She gave him a sweet little kiss on the cheek and whispered in his ear, "thank you."  
  
"That was cold Haley, very cold." Nathan replied.  
  
"Well you never know do yuo Nathan." She crawled into bed and they watched TV.  
  
Chapter 14 -  
  
The next morning Haley and Nathan had tickets home. They got up at six so that they could get to the airport for seven.  
  
"Goodbye sweetheart." Said Deb at the airport.  
  
"Your embarassing the boy" Dan cut in. "bye son. Haley"  
  
"Bye Mr and Mrs Scott." Haley said.  
  
"Bye mum, dad." Nathan Said. "I'm gonna mis you. It is weird leaving you after Christmas." He laughed. "usually I'll be leaving someone elses house. Oh yeah, tell Julia I'm sorry, I feel bad about that."  
  
"Well you couldn't help that." Deb said laughing.  
  
The announcement for last call came on and Haley and Nathan were redy to go.  
  
The plane trip went great. They met up with Karen and Luke in the sirpor back home.  
  
"Hey Hales, what's up? How was the trip. I know you hate flying."  
  
"Haha, I'm fine, the trip was pretty cool." Haley replied.  
  
"What did you get for Christmas?" asked Karen to teh two of them.  
  
"Haley bought me a beautiful watch," he showed it to them.  
  
"And Nathan bought me this necklace and pendant." Haley showed them. "then we got eh usual new clothes and stuff."  
  
"Wow bro, went all out this year huh?" Lucas Joked.  
  
"Yep, what about you two?" Asked Nathan, "how was Christmas?"  
  
"Great, and quiet." Lucas replied. "oh that reminds me, you have some stuff people sent to the house for you."  
  
"Cool." Nathan replied.  
  
They all went back to the house and hung out for the afternoon.  
  
It was new years eve now, Brooke had planned a huge party, but then at last minute it was moved to the Beach house because her parents missed their flight.  
  
It was all ready. Nathan was up with Haley in one of the rooms.  
  
"promise not to get Drunk?" asked Haley As she sniggled up to him from behind.  
  
"I don't even want to drink anything." he said as he grabbed her arms and pulled her toward him. And noticed her wrist, which was still lightly bruised. He still hated himself for it  
  
"You can have a drink or two, but don't get drunk." Haley replied.  
  
"I wont, You are too important to me." Nathan replied.  
  
She smiled, she was really happy.  
  
The party went great, most of the people aside froma few were drunk before the countdown.  
  
"TEN.....NINE.....EIGHT.....SEVEN" the group yelled. "SIX..... FIVE..... FOUR.....THREE.....TWO.....ONE! HAPPY NEW YEAR"  
  
Nathan pulled Haley over to him and gave her a big kiss on the lips. He loved her, and he wanted her more than anything, but he respected her in every way, and every time he ever thought about bringing it up, he decided to let her do it, let her decide.  
  
She loved him too, she wished she was able to tell him that she wanted him. It was so hard, she didn't know what to do. He was amazing, and he kept her going happily, she wished she could just get up the courage to tell him.  
  
"Yo Scott, your supposed to kiss her at midnight, not for the next half an hour." Yelled Tim.  
  
"Haha Tim, at least my date didn't bale on me." Nathan replied.  
  
"Shut up, she got sick." Tim said.  
  
"No, she just realized the mistake she was making." Joked Nathan.  
  
"Nathan, I'm going to go find Brooke and Peyton, OK?" Haley whispered to him.  
  
"Yeah sure hun." he replied.  
  
She went upstairs and looked through some rooms.  
  
"Brooke?" she asked as she came up to one room. She opened the door. "Oh crap!" she exclaimed when she saw Brooke with Lucas. Her best friend having sex, was not what she wanted to see.  
  
"Hey Hales." Lucas said as he covered himself up.  
  
"Hi, yeah, just looking for Brooke, but I'll come back in a little while." Replied Haley.  
  
"Nope, Lucas can go," Haley, Brooke and Peyton were best girl friends and they were good at telling when one of the others was in need of guidance.  
  
"OK," Lucas said as he grabbed his clothes, he could also tell when Haley was troubled.  
  
When Lucas left the room, Brooke turned to Haley. "What's wrong?"  
  
"I'm a little unsure about something." Haley said sitting down.  
  
"What?" Asked Brooke.  
  
"Nathan." Replied Haley.  
  
"What happened?" Brooke asked.  
  
And Haley explained it all. Brooke, being Brooke told her to just go out and tell him. Haley agreed. She went to find Peyton, who said pretty much the same thing.  
  
Everyone had left, it was just Haley and Nathan.  
  
"Hello Miss Haley." He said as he came up behind her.  
  
"Hello Nathan, can we talk?" he nodded. "You know what we talked about the other night," he looked confused, but then understood. "I'm ready."  
  
He was surprised, but happy. "are you sure?"  
  
"Yeah, I love you Nathan," she replied and she flipped off the lights.  
  
Chapter 15 -  
  
It had been a week since the new years party, they were all back in school. Things were relatively normal, except Haley and Nathan's relationship was very widely known around school.  
  
Everywhere she went she heard whispers, "that's the girl". "she's dating Nathan Scott?" they all went something like that. She hated it, but he could always put a smile back on her face.  
  
"hey sunshine." He asid as he came up behind her.  
  
"Hey Scott." she replied. "What are you up to?"  
  
"Nothing." Then he gave her a big kiss.  
  
They walked down to the lunch room. They ran into Lucas and Brooke. It was still kind of awkward for Haley and Lucas becuase of new years eve, but it was all good anyway.  
  
Just before Nathan went off with Lucas to a meeting with the team he whispered in Haley's ear "see ya after school."  
  
After school they went to Karen's house. they got there and Haley said she needed to take a shower because she had gym last period.  
  
When she got out no one was making a sound at all. She walked into Nathan's room, and Nathan jumped on top of her and she fell to the floor.  
  
"What the He-" Haley bagan.  
  
he cut her off "shhh." but just as soon as he said it KAren screamed.  
  
"LUCAS!" she yelled. Then there was a shot.  
  
Haley shreiked.  
  
Nathan put his hand over her mouth.  
  
From downstairs they heard a sound. "did you hear that? someone screamed."  
  
"You check downstairs, I'll go upstairs." said another voice.  
  
Nathan waisted no time, he ran into another room, and broke the glass in the window. Then he ran to where Haley was.  
  
"What did you do?" whispered Haley.  
  
"Broke the window and threw out the escape ladder, they'll think we ran." Nathan whisperd, then he and Haley layed silently under the bed.  
  
They heard the voices downstairs again. "let's get out of here. If we don't, whoever ran from the window will get the cops."  
  
After five minutes of silence they heard a scream from Karen. "Nathan Haley! it's OK, get down here." she yelled.  
  
They bolted, afraid of what they would see.  
  
When they got downstairs, they saw Karen tied to a chair, Lucas was kneeling over a person who was lying on the ground.  
  
Haley got closer, it was Brooke. She couldn't speak, she couldn't move, Brooke, one of her best friends, was she alive, dead, Haley was overwhelmed.  
  
Nathan had untied Karen and the cops, and ambulance were there by the time Haley came back to reality. Brooke had been taken to the Tree Hill General Hospital.  
  
Haley approched Lucas who had just got off the phone with Brooke's dad. "Is she going to be OK?" she asked.  
  
"I don't know, they just took her didn't you see Haley." Lucas shot at her.  
  
"Yo, Lucas, bro, it's OK, it will all be fine, don't put Haley into shock again." Nathan said approching them.  
  
"Again?" aske Haley and Lucas at the same time.  
  
"yeah, the paramedic told me that's what happened to you when you couldn't move." Nathan replied putting his jacket around Haley's shoulders. "Luke, it'll all be OK, don't worry."  
  
Brooke had been in the surgery room for what seemed like days. Lucas Haley Nathan and Karen drove as fast as they could (which wasn't that fast because it was rush hour) to the hospital, when they got there they called Peyton, who rushed down. Brooke's parents, who were already there were talking to Lucas. Well more yelling and blaming him, then talking to him.  
  
Nathan went to break it up. "hey all of you, your daughter and your girlfriend, is laying in the hospital bed fighting for her life, no one could control what happened today, so all of you suck it up and stop blaming each other, brooke will need support when she gets up." He yelled at them all.  
  
He was able to get them to all be quiet, but everyone was restless. After three hours in the operating room Brooke's surgeon came out took a deep breath and began.  
  
Chapter 16  
  
Everyone was silent and holding their breath in the waiting room as the doctor explained. "She is alive, the bulet didn't hit any vital organs. Our biggest concern right now is that she lost a lot of blood, but she seems like she will be fine." Everyone took a deep breath. She was going to be OK. Haley gave Lucas a big hug. Now the only concern was, who did it?  
  
"Lucas," Haley began, "I know you want to be here for Brooke, but you and Karen are the only ones who saw the people who did it, Brooke might, but right now remembering it would probably be really bad for her."  
  
"Then my mum can go, she saw them more than I did." Lucas replied.  
  
"You need to go, you can have a better time with Brooke if you know that you have done everything to help her, that includes fighting bringing whoever did it to Justice." Haley replied.  
  
Lucas sighed. "You're right, can you give me a ride, I don't really want to be driving."  
  
"Yeah no problem." Haley replied, as she put her arm around his shoulders.  
  
The went to the police station, when they got back Brooke was awake. Haley and Nathan went in to see her after her parents and Lucas had.  
  
"her Brooke, how you feeling?" Asked Nathan.  
  
"Like crap, what do you think." Brooke joked. "But considering everything, I'm doing pretty good." she added.  
  
"That's great." replied Haley.  
  
"so did they find out who did it?" asked Brooke.  
  
"No, not yet, but Lucas and Karen have both spoken to the athorities." Haley replied. "do you need us to get you anything?" she asked.  
  
"No, I'm OK, but I think I'm going to go back to sleep." Brooke replied.  
  
"That's fine, we'll go." replied Nathan.  
  
The two of them left. Nathan turned to Haley, "I need to use the washroom."  
  
"yeah, OK" Haley replied.  
  
When Nathan got into the washroom, he leaned his head on the door for a second, then he overheard a conversation.  
  
"UGH! that hurts, the glass is still stuck in my skin." Said one voice.  
  
"Well you shouldn't have punched what was left of the glass in that window." said another. "if it wasn't for you, we wouldn't even be here."  
  
"Yeah well you were the stupid one today." said the other voice smuggly, "you didn't need to shoot the girl."  
  
Nathan was shocked, he slipped out as fast as he could and ran to the front desk. "One of the guys who shot my friend is hurt, and he is here." Nathan said as fast as he could.  
  
After he told the people at the hospital everything he watched as the two guys were tkane away by two cops who were in the hospital.  
  
"Nathan what was that about?" asked Haley.  
  
"I heard them talking, those are the guys who shot Brooke, one guy ended up punching the rest of the glass on the window at the house, and got it stuck ing his skin-"  
  
"So they came here?" Haley cut in.  
  
"Yeah, they were here, and Overheard them when I-"  
  
"When you went to the bathroom?" she cut in again.  
  
"yes, and you could jsut let me tell the story." Nathan replied.  
  
"Sorry. Anyway, go on." Haley replied.  
  
Nathan gave her a smile and kissed her forehead.  
  
"Yeah anyway, they came here because he ahd glass in his hand and I heard them talking." Nathan replied.  
  
"Come on, you should tell Luke and Brooke's parents." Haley said as they began walking.  
  
"yeah, I was going to tell you at all the same time, but you were here looking for me so I just old you first. Let's go." Nathan said.  
  
He explained the whole story to Lucas and Karen and everyone, no sooner had he finished the story that Lucas and Karen were called backk down to the police station to ID them.  
  
When they got there, right away Lucas saw the two guys from the hospital and began yelling. "That's them, it was those two son's of-" he cut himself of. "those two shot Brooke," he said quietly afterward.  
  
"Yeah, I remember their clothes, and this guy's face." Karen said calmly. "they wore thin masks." she added.  
  
"Thank you, you two have been a big help." said a police officer who had appeared in front of them. "they were the two you were going to ID for us." he paused. "And give your friends in the hospital my best, I hope everything will be OK."  
  
"thank you sir." Karen said, then the two of them returned to hospital.  
  
Chapter 17 -  
  
It was five months later, the basketball season had now eneded and the team was deciding how to celebrate their undefeated season, every year the team had done a party, but this was the first year they had gone undefeated, so they had to do something special.  
  
Life pretty much was back to normal for everyone. Haley had attended councelling, so did Brooke, to everyone, Brooke a reason to, but no one really understood why Haley did. She just was really shook up from thinking she could have lost a lot of people she loved that day, but everything worked out for them in the end.  
  
"So did you guys finally decide what you were doing for your celebration?" asked Haley after Nathan had came over after a meeting with the team.  
  
"Yep, we decided to do a team camping trip for a week! Well It's kinda camping, we are staying in cabins but same thing." Nathan replied.  
  
"Awesome." replied Haley, "when?"  
  
"A week tomorrow, we'll be leaving on the Saturday, then we'll come home on the next Friday." Nathan sounded excited. "oh, and the entire cheerleading squad is coming to."  
  
"Oh, becasue it's really a good thing that I'm leaving my incredibly cute boyfriend with a bunch of pretty girls for a week." Haley joked.  
  
"yeah, I meant to ask you about that, can we take a break for that week?" Nathan joked.  
  
"Um, not funny." Haley replied coldly.  
  
"oh, right, I'm so sorry, can you ever forgive me?" Nathan continued.  
  
"I think I can." She replied  
  
They began to make out on her bed. After about five minutes her dad came storming up the stairs.  
  
"What the heck is going on here?" he yelled when he reached her room.  
  
"Nothing," Haley replied as Nathan jumped off of her.  
  
"YOU!" he turned to Nathan. "get out of my house."  
  
Nathan saw the look on Haley's face and decided to leave, he wasn't too good with parents.  
  
"So, how much trouble did I get you in?" asked Nathan as he approached Haley the next monday.  
  
"A lot!" Haley began, "but since it was you, I'm willing to forgive."  
  
"good." Nathan replied. And he began to kiss her.  
  
"Oh get a room." joked Lucas as he approached the two of them. "So Nathan you coming this weekend?"  
  
"Um yeah, Lucas you were there when your mom signed my sheet." Nathan replied.  
  
"OH, right yeah. Sorry, I'm tired." Lucas said with a confused look on his face.  
  
"OK, there Luke." Haley replied.  
  
"Yeah, anyway, Haley I came over here to meet you, we have Chem next." Lucas said.  
  
"Right, I'll see you later" Haley said as she turned to Nathan.  
  
"not if I see you first." Nathan replied.  
  
Lucas began to laugh. "I never thought you two would become one of those couples who say those annyoing and corny sayings."  
  
"Oh shut up Lucas, let's go." Haley laughed.  
  
The two of them walked off to their class.  
  
"So you're really into him?" Lucas asked.  
  
"Um yeah, what rock have you been living under?" Haley laughed.  
  
"No, I was just making sure, because I've never seen you date before, so I didn't really know if you were that into him." Lucas said calmy, and quietly.  
  
"Well I love him," Haley said to her best friend. "wow, lot's of things have happened in the last year. Nathan coming to live with you, you becoming friends, me falling for him, spending Christmas with him, Brooke being shot, it's almost like we don't live this normal small town life anymore." haley said thinking out loud.  
  
"Well Haley we never really lived the normal small town life." Lucas replied.  
  
"Yeah I guess, but this year is even weirder." Haley replied, jsut as they reached their Chemistry classroom.  
  
Chapter 18 -  
  
"You know I'm gonna be bored all week thanks to you." Haley joked with Nathan over the phone.  
  
"Really? I don't have to-"  
  
"Yes you do, and I was just kidding." Haley replied.  
  
"Oh Ok." Nathan said. "So tell me all the things you think I will need."  
  
Haley began to name off a list of things he might need. He had it all.  
  
It began to get load downstairs, Haley's dad and brother were fighting again, they always fought since he came home to live with them.  
  
"Nathan I better go, I have to help my mom do damage control with my dad and brother." Haley said.  
  
"Again?" Nathan asked. "they fight a lot."  
  
"Yeah, ever since he came home, I jsut want to see my dad belt him sometimes, he was my least favorite brother." Haley replied. "I'll see ya in a week."  
  
"Yeah, but I'll have my cell, I can plug it in in the cabin, so if you need anything call me." Nathan replied.  
  
"I thought you weren't aloud to bring them?" asked Haley.  
  
Well I'll hide it, anyway, love ya, bye."  
  
"Bye." And she hung up.  
  
Haley took a deep breath and headed downstairs.  
  
Nathan grabbed all his stuff and headed down the hall to Lucas's room.  
  
"Wow, how much are you bringing Luke?" Nathan exclaimed when he got to his brother's room.  
  
"Lot's I don't know much about camping, I've never gone." Lucas replied a little embarrassed.  
  
"here I'll help." Nathan replied "I used to go with my parents."  
  
Nathan helped Lucas take out all the things he wouldn't need. In the end, Lucas had over half of his stuff back in his room.  
  
The two of them were getting a ride with Karen so that neither of their trucks would be left in the parking lot all week.  
  
They got to school, there were not too many other's there yet, they had to get their bags checked first. Both of them didn't need to leave anything behind. Tim on the otehr hand, was caught trying to bring a lot of alcohol.  
  
"Tim!" Yelled Whitey, "I have the mind to not take you on the trip, but today is too good of a day. Get all the alcohol out of your bag and let's go."  
  
Lucas and Nathan Laughed.  
  
All of the team and cheerleading squad was there within half an hour, then after an hour they were all on the bus.  
  
They had just began to drive when Nathan's cell went off.  
  
"Scott, I thought I said no cell phones." Yelled Whitey.  
  
"it's probably Haley." Joked Tim.  
  
"Shut up Tim, can I please take the call it is Haley." Nathan asked Whitey.  
  
"Fine, but afterward I get the cell for the week." Whitey gace in.  
  
"hello, Haley?" asked nathan. Everyone on the bus was listening.  
  
"Hi," Haley replied she sounded weird.  
  
"What's wrong?" Nathan asked.  
  
"It got out of hand." Haley replied, "My brother ended up hitting me and my mom, I'm scared, my dad and my mum went off somewhere I don't know I think my dad has been drinking and forgot I was here. I'm hiding in the bathroom, he's looking for me. I don't know what to do. I think he's drunk too."  
  
"OK, Haley stay there, I'm right near your house I'll get off when we get there." Nathan replied.  
  
"No I don't want you to miss your trip." haley replied. "Just tell me who to call."  
  
"No, Haley Lucas told me your brother is a scary guy when he has been drinking, he'll break down the door. I'll be there in two minutes." Nathan replied. "Just hold on."  
  
he hung up the phone and ran to the front of the bus. Whitey was mad at first, but he also didn't want Haley to get hurt. Lucas came with Nathan they ran up to her house, and banged on the door as load as they could.  
  
No one opened the door, Lucas ran to a tree and began to climb it. "I used to get into Haley's room from here." he called down to Nathan.  
  
Nathan followed Lucas up the tree they snuck into the house and went to the bathroom, Haley's brother had found her.  
  
"Get out of there Haley." He yelled at her.  
  
"Hey Josh, get away from her." Yelled Nathan.  
  
"How'd you get in here?" He yelled.  
  
"Nathan be careful." Haley screamed from behind the door.  
  
Nathan turned to Lucas, "I'll keep him distracted, he's really drunk. You get Haley."  
  
"OK." Lucas replied.  
  
Nathan kept yelling at Josh, he didn't even notice when haley and Lucas snuck downstairs.  
  
Lucas yelled to Nathan from the first level. "Nate, get out the window."  
  
Nathan bolted for the window in Haley's room. he climbed down really fast and the three of them went back to the bus.  
  
"Everything OK?" asked Whitey.  
  
"Yeah." Lucas said. "she's OK, jsut scared.  
  
Nathan went up to Whitey and whispered something quietly to him. He didn't say anything for a few seconds, then he called Brooke over. They whispered for a few seconds. then Whitey nodded.  
  
Nathan came down to Haley. "You wanna come?" He asked.  
  
"I can't." She replied. "I'm not on the squad."  
  
"Well I'm not leaving you here." Nathan replied.  
  
"Me either," said Lucas.  
  
"I have no clothes." She replied.  
  
"Brooke brought four bathing suits and enough clothes to last three weeks." replied Nathan.  
  
"Alright I guess I can. But I'll need to call my parents tomorrow." Haley smiled.  
  
"Yeah you can use my cell." Nathan replied.  
  
"Thank-you." Haley said to everyone, then she went and took a seat with Brooke.  
  
Chapter 19 -  
  
They arrived at the camp a few hours later.  
  
"Miss James." Called over Whitey.  
  
"yes sir?" She asked politely.  
  
"You'll be bunking with Miss Sawyer, Miss Davis, and Miss Johnson. Alright with you?"  
  
"Yeah, that's fine." Haley said. Hmm the week with Brooke Peyton Theresa, and all the guys they'll have in the room, and Nathan. sounds good she thought.  
  
She went to the room. Brooke was sorting out her clothes. "Here I'll let you have these for the week." She said.  
  
"Brooke, that's two pairs of clothes."Peyton said. "In all that, how on earth is that all the clothes you could give her?"  
  
"Well I don't see you helping, I'm just trying to find outfits that wont make her look like a slut. She isn't single remember." Brooke replied.  
  
"Here, Haley I have two extra outfits," Peyton said.  
  
"Me too." Said Theresa handing her the clothes.  
  
"oh, and you can have this one too." Brooke said handing it to Haley.  
  
"Thanks guys." Haley replied.  
  
"oh, and Haley you can pick which two bathing suits you want. they are all sleazy so you can choose which ones you want." Brooke said.  
  
Haley picked two of them, one was a blue bikini and the other was a one piece that was cut in weird ways.  
  
"thanks guys I'm really sorry you wont have any extra clothes this week." Haley said.  
  
"If we need them we will steal them from Brooke." Laughed Peyton.  
  
They had an early lights out that night but the girls stayed up doing the girl talk thing. It was really funny to know what all the girls said about all the guys when they weren't around.  
  
"Haley your so damn lucky." Brooke exclaimed out of no where.  
  
"Why you have Lucas?" Haley replied.  
  
"Well yeah, but he is still into Peyton, me and him are on again off again. You and Nathan are perfect." She replied.  
  
"HA, that is funny. ME and him perfect? You should here some of the things that happened in New York." Haley replied, but then realized she had said too much.  
  
"What happened in New York?" Asked Peyton she sounded concerned.  
  
"I don't think I should say. Not too many people know." Haley replied.  
  
"Come on. We wont tell," said Theresa.  
  
"OK, when we were in New York He really hurt me." Haley replied.  
  
"What did he do, sleep with someone else?" Asked Brooke.  
  
"No, he hurt me. First he grabbed my wrists because he was drunk and I had said something mean about his friends there. Then I bit his arm to get him to let go. And he kicked me."  
  
"What?" Yelled Theresa.  
  
"He hurt you." Brooke was shocked.  
  
"Yeah, but I left permanent scars in his arm." Haley laughed.  
  
"but he still hit you, I would have left." Peyton said.  
  
"I almost did, he heard about what he did when he was sober, then he took me to the bus station, but he said the right things at the right time and I wouldn't leave, he kept telling me to, but i didn't." Haley replied.  
  
No one said anything for a long time.  
  
Haley broke the silence. "It's OK you guys, nothing's wrong." she was almost in tears when she said it.  
  
"No it isn't Haley, that shouldn't have happened." Peyton said.  
  
"I know, but it's all OK, Nathan doesn't even drink anymore." Haley replied.  
  
No one said anything for another long time. Then they heard something outside.  
  
They looked out the window, it was the guys. They had heard everything. Nathan just stood there, he looked like crap, he looked the same as Haley felt.  
  
No one would say anything, not even Tim, who always had something to say. Lucas and Jake didn't say anything either, they couldn't even look Haley or Nathan in the eye.  
  
Haley couldn't stand it. "People it's nothing let it go, what was your guys' plans for the eight of us tonight?"  
  
Lucas caught the change of subject and he wanted to help Haley out. "We wanted to go down to the lake."  
  
"Girls, you want to?" Asked Brooke.  
  
"Let's go," said Peyton.  
  
"OK, come on." Tim said.  
  
"We need to change." Said Theresa.  
  
"No, we were gonna go skinny dipping." Tim laughed.  
  
"Um, you can, we will change." Theresa said.  
  
The girls changed, Haley felt like she might as well be naked. But she was glad Brooke gave the suit to her anyway.  
  
They all went down to the beach, ready for some fun.  
  
Chapter 20 -  
  
Nathan came up next to Haley, she couldn't figure out if he was really mad or just not really feeling anything.  
  
"Nathan I'm sorr-" Haley began.  
  
"Forget it, it's better that they know the whole story than to somehow have them all hear it somewhere else. I don't mind." Nathan replied wrapping his arms around her.  
  
"Are you sure you're not mad?" she asked.  
  
"How could I be mad at you when you're wearing that bikini?" He asked.  
  
Her jaw dropped, they were out on the dock now so she just caught him offguard and pushed him into the water, fully clothed.  
  
"OHHHHH!" said the guys.  
  
The girls just all laughed. "Good job Haley." Theresa laughed.  
  
Haley smiled. Nathan was pushing himslef out when he grabbed haley's wrist and pulled her in too.  
  
"Oh my gosh, It's freezing!" Haley exclaimed.  
  
"SHHHH, Whitey will come looking." Tim replied.  
  
"Who's dpwn there?" Called the voice of Whitey.  
  
"Now you've done it." Tim yelled as he quietly got into the water. everyone else followed. "OK, we have to stay under water don't come up." Tim added.  
  
When Whitey got close they all dived.  
  
They could see his flashlight looking around the water.  
  
haley felt like she was going to die of lack of oxygen to her lungs.  
  
After about a minute of searching Whitey gave up.  
  
They all game up and gasped for breath.  
  
"Good job Haley." Lucas joked.  
  
"Yeah." Nathan said as he jumped on her back.  
  
"Are you guys sure that everything's okay?" asked Brooke. "Are you just hiding eveything."  
  
Haley gave her the most evil look ever.  
  
"OK, I can take a hint." Brooke repied.  
  
Nathan turned to Haley, who had her arms wrapped around his shoulders. "So, are you happy?"  
  
"why would you ask that? of course I am." She replied.  
  
"Well, I just didn't know, with the family stuff, your brother, and my family being jerks, and well the stuff that happened over holidays." Nathan replied.  
  
"Nathan, I'm really happy, I love you, we're happy, unless you aren't." Haley replied.  
  
"I'm happy just as long as you are around." Nathan said just as he began to kiss her neck.  
  
"Yeah, go Nathan" Tim yelled. Nathan stuck up his middle finger at him.  
  
Haley laughed. She was having a blast, and they weren't even doing anything that fun.  
  
After a few minutes they were all sitting on the docks.  
  
"Let's play truth or dare." Brooke said smiling.  
  
"I swear that's your favorite game." Theresa joked.  
  
Everyone laughed. Brooke turned to Peyton. "truth or dare?" she asked with a smirk.  
  
"Truth." Peyton replied.  
  
"Do you still have feelings for Lucas?" Asked Brooke.  
  
"As a friend yes." Peyton replied. "Otherwise I'm kinda repulsed by him." she said as she stuck her tongue out at him.  
  
Everyone laughed, then Peyton turned to Tim. He, before anything was said called out "Dare."  
  
"I dare you to get up and kiss the girl here who you think is hottest." Peyton replied.  
  
He got up, looked around, he acted like he didn't know who to choose. He leaned down next to Theresa as if to give her a kiss, but at teh last second he went and crushed his lps against Haley. Who, from the shock, pushed him onto Theresa. This made everyone burst out laughing.  
  
"Don't expect to get anymore kisses out of me tonight Hales." Nathan began. "That would be way to much like kissing my best friend."  
  
Tim then sat down again. "I have a dare for everyone." He said with an evil smile across his face. "I dare all the girls to take of their swimsuits, and all the guys to take off their trunks, and put on the clothes of the person who you last kissed."  
  
No one moved for a few minutes, Tim, being Tim, was first to get up, he took off his trunks in front of everyone and handed them to Haley. This made everyone look at her. She gave Nathan a look, but he didn't seem to worried.  
  
"Don't worry Haley, none of this will ever leave this group." Jake said.  
  
She shrugged er shoulders and began to untie the shoulder straps on the bikini. In a few minutes she was in Tim's trunks, which were huge on her, and he was in Brooke's swimsuit.  
  
Brooke got up, she turned to Lucas and smiled. Within minutes, Lucas looked hilarious in the two piece suit.  
  
Next it was Nathan. "The last person I kissed was Haley." He said.  
  
"And before that?" Asked Lucas.  
  
"Peyton." Nathan replied. Him and Peyton stood up and began to exchange clothes.  
  
"Oh Nathan, I've neevr been more attracted to you." Haley said, but she couldn't hold in the laughter.  
  
Last came Jake and Theresa, who really had never kissed at all, but were good sports about the whole thing.  
  
"I'm going now." Said Haley. "I want eveyone to tell their biggest secret. Me and Nathan are excluded because of earlier."  
  
Brooke went first. "You know a few months back? right after Nathan got here there was clothes scrambled all over the field. I stole them from a girl in the locker room, and did it, but only because she was a bitch."  
  
"That was lame" Tim replied. "My biggest is that I've only ever slept with three girls ever."  
  
"That's tragic Tim, Haley's only slept with me." Nathan blurted out. But right away regreted it. It was another awkward moment for everyone.  
  
Haley smiled and said. "And damn proud of it." Which lightened the mood again.  
  
Peyton went next, her's was that she had been the one to email fake love letters to people as somthing to do.  
  
Theresa's was that when she was fifteen, she became a major shoplifter from department stores.  
  
Lucas' was that Brooke was the only person he had ever slept with, which wasn't really a secret to Haley, or Brooke.  
  
Jake went last, he had just been sitting there silently for a few minutes, he didn' say anything.  
  
"Come on Jake, tell us. It can't be that bad." Brooke said.  
  
"Yeah dude, it can't be worse than Haley and Nathan." Tim added, which yet agin cause a few seconds of tension.  
  
"You really want to know?" Asked Jake.  
  
"Yeah." They all replied.  
  
"OK, but you can't tell a single soul." everyone knew this must have been big if he was this protective of it.  
  
"We won't" They all replied again.  
  
"OK, you know how Whitey is always taking it easy on me when I'm late, and how I never really do to many things with the guys?" He began. "The reason for that is becasue I have a daughter, she's still younger than a year, but she's mine. Her mother left her with me after she was born. All the faculty knows, and so far you guys are the only students who know, but yuo guys really can't tell a singel person."  
  
"We won't, don't worry." Haley said.  
  
"Wow man that was deep, I had no idea." Nathan replied.  
  
"Yeah I kept it pretty hidden." He replied.  
  
To lift everyone's spirts they all decided to go in the water again, guys in bikini's and girls in swimming trunks.  
  
They had only just got in when Brooke almost screamed. "The shorts came off." She hissed.  
  
Everyone began looking for them. No one could find them. After almost half an hour of looking Brooke went to Lucas.  
  
"I'm really really sorry. I ddin't mean for them to come off, but they were huge." She said uneasy.  
  
"It's OK." Lucas replied giving her a kiss.  
  
"Yeah, I have a spare pair that should fit." Nathan said.  
  
"But what do you guys want me to wear now?" Asked Brooke.  
  
Nathan swam up to the dock. "Here put this on, he said throwing her a tank top like shirt he had been wearing when Haley pushed him into the water.  
  
"Thanks." She replied.  
  
It had been another long time when Haley looked at her watch. "Wow, guys, it's five in the morning." she said. "The sun's gonna rise in like an hour."  
  
"Who cares, no one will see us when we got back. And we can sleep in." Tim replied happily.  
  
"No we can't, I was reading Nathan's brochure thing and it said that we are getting up every morning at seven." Haley replied.  
  
"What, no way, I need more than two hours of sleep." Brooke said.  
  
"Let's pull an all nighter, who cares." Lucas said.  
  
"Yeah, we could." Nathan replied.  
  
And they did. As a just in case everyone changed back into their original swim suits, except Lucas, who pulled on his boxers which were on the docks with the rest of his clothes.  
  
at six o'clock Whitey was up, he got up went for a walk and saw some clothes lying on the docks.  
  
"What's going on here?" he asked as he got to the water.  
  
"Oh, hey coach." Jake said calmly. "We guys got up a little while ago and decided it was really warm in our room, so we wanted to cool off. When we were coming down we thought we could stop off to see the girls. Haley was awake when we got there and she woke up the others, because we didn't want to go into the girl's dorms. So we all came down for a swim."  
  
"Well that's OK I guess." Whitey replied. "Do you people know anything about people being down here last night?"  
  
"Um, nope." Nathan began, "You guys?"  
  
Everyone went along with it.  
  
"Well, be at the lunch hall at 8:30 for breakfast or you won't be eating." He replied and walked away.  
  
"Hmm, this really seems like summer camp when we were kids." Theresa laughed. "I feel like I'm ten again."  
  
"Well I could think of a few things we could do to make you realize you're not ten anymore." Tim said approaching her.  
  
"Oh put some ice on it." Nathan said eying his friend.  
  
When they all got out Nathan and Haley stayed behind a bit.  
  
"You have fun?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, I'm having a great time." She replied.  
  
"Me too." Nathan said as he pulled her into a passionate kiss as he rubbed his hands up and down her damp back.  
  
"I thought you weren't going to kiss me." Haley said jokingly.  
  
"Well, I couldn't resist with you looking like that." He was refering to the fact that her bathing suit was sitting really lopsided.  
  
"Well at least now I have a top on." she said just before she went back up to the cabin to meet the girls.  
  
Chapter 21 -  
  
By breakfast, all eight of them could barely stay awake. Even Brooke who always looke dperfect had big black circles under her eyes.  
  
"I think we made a bad choice." Theresa said as she dropped into her seat.  
  
"Yeah." Nathan replied.  
  
"hmm hmm" Said Whitey from the front. "Ok, I would like you all to meet the camp director, Mr. Sales. He will be telling all you guys what we will be doing today." he said happily. When Whitey was happy like that, it never was good. But out here, he wasn't going to make them run ten laps around the mountain or sumthing.  
  
"Hello, students." Said the director very professionally, "Today, since the weather is cooler than usual, we are going to do our hike. We will be leaving in about an hour. Remember, it will be much colder on top of the mountain. I know all of you are in great shape, so we will hike the more difficult trial, and since I was talking to teh workers up there, it turns out we have some snow on the north side of teh mountain, so, even though it isn't ski season, we will be doing some skiing and snowboarding at the top if you are interested."  
  
Jake and Tim exchanged high fives.  
  
"I'm not going to make it up a mountain, little own come back down it on skis." Haley said with a groan.  
  
"I'll carry you. I didn't know you ski?" He said in the form of a question.  
  
"I know how, I'm not good though." She replied.  
  
"Do you board?" He asked.  
  
"No, never really wanted to learn." Haley replied.  
  
"Let me teach you." Nathan said, "we can go on a small private hill and I'll teach you." he said in a flirty voice.  
  
"yeah? I'll be bad, and you wont get to hang with your friends." Haley replied.  
  
"yeah. I like them, but I love you." He said, probably a little too loud.  
  
everyone in trhe room was now listening to them. Haley eventually realized it and turned to start a conversation with Peyton.  
  
"Thanks dude." Tim said to Nathan.  
  
"Oh screw off." Nathan replied.  
  
"OHHH!" Lucas and Jake said loudly.  
  
They were ready in an hour and they set out. By then, all of them had a ton of coffee in them. as they began the trail, everyone started to complain, as if on a timer.  
  
"My feet hurt." Brooke said.  
  
"we left, besides, those shoes are realy uncomfortable." Peyton replied.  
  
"I have to piss, that coffee was a bad idea." Jake said.  
  
"Yeah." Lucas added.  
  
They were halfway up in an hour, they were all beat, and they started to take a break.  
  
Tim who had gone off to find a bush. Came back with a smile on his face. He motioned to all of them to follow him.  
  
They went through some trees when they came to a snowy hill. it was the ski course. Tim pointed to the ski lift.  
  
"We're saved!" haley joked.  
  
they all took off to the lift.  
  
As soon as they got up to the top they went to get their skis.  
  
"So Haley are you going to snowboard?" Asked Nathan.  
  
"Yeah, just as long as you don't leave me at the top of the mountain.  
  
"What about you guys?" he asked everyone else.  
  
The guys all were boing boarding for sure. the girls didn't know, Peyton and Theresa wanted to learn how to board, so in the end everyone convinced Brooke to try to board.  
  
They got their boards and they were all ready to get to the hill when Whitey and the hiking crew showed up.  
  
Chapter 22 -  
  
"Well hello guys," Whitey said in that voice where he pretended to be nice but was really mad.  
  
"Hi coach." Nathan said.  
  
"You guys too good for our hike?" He continued.  
  
"Well no sir, but well considering what happened to her last night, Haley was really sore, and she has some bruises, that we saw when we went swimming, so she didn't want to hike the whole thing." Tim said sweetly.  
  
"She could have come to me, then her and one other person could have gone up, not eight of you." Whitey replied.  
  
"We're sorry, but we just wanted to stay as a group this week." Jake said.  
  
"Well next time check with me first, now go get out of my face and get on that hill." He added before he walked off.  
  
Everyone exchanged smiles. They headed to the lift.  
  
"Nathan I don't know what I'm doing." Haley said a little scared at teh top of the hill. "Why couldn't we go on the bunny hill?"  
  
"Because you never got off the lift where the bunny hill did." Nathan replied with a laugh.  
  
"You never told me how, you just took me up there and said go." Haley said pouty.  
  
"OK, I should have told you how to get off, but even Brooke got off." Nathan replied as he strapped her boots into the bidings.  
  
"Tim probably told her how." Haley replied. "But I guess if I'm going to get good we better start somewhere right?"  
  
"Yeah, and this way, you know what you're doing on an actual hill, instead of a bunny hill that you can barely move on." Nathan replied. "OK, can you stadn up?" he asked. He still hadn't got strapped to his board, he figured he could teach her better this way.  
  
"How?" She asked.  
  
"Dig your board a bit forward and pull your body up." He replied. She tried, but fell flat on her stomach. "OK we'll do it the easy way first. Just stand up how you are, I'll catch you if you begin to move down the hill." he said as he moved in front of her.  
  
She finally got up, she was sort of stable but still didn't know what she was doing.  
  
"OK, we're going to learn toe and heel edge first OK?" He said.  
  
"Like I know what it means, but sure." She replied.  
  
"OK, facing with your body down the hill tip your feet back and go on your heel edge," He said, and she did it. "Now let your board get almost flat again." She did. "Now do it all over again." And gradually she began to move down the hill. "Good job, now we will do it the opposote way, facing up the hill." And she got it pretty easy.  
  
Next he taught her to move from side to side on each edge, she got that pretty easy, but when he tried to teach her to switch to the other side all at once she got a little mixed up.  
  
"Well for now, why don't we work on going on just one edge at a time." Nathan suggested. "I did that for a little while when I was just learning."  
  
"OK, I think I'm ready to go down the hill." She said.  
  
"OK, I'll be right here if you need help." He said as he quickly got himself strapped into his bindings.  
  
They made their way down the hill about halfway down it got a litte steaper and Haley fell down hard.  
  
Nathan came right down to her. "You OK?" He asked as he sat down with her.  
  
"Yeah I'm fine." She replied. "Just a small fall."  
  
"Good," he replied as he took of his goggles.  
  
"Where'd you get tehse anyway Nathan?" Haley asked as she took hers off too, he had just appeared with them before they were about to leave for the slopes.  
  
"Oh, I went into the gift shop and me and Tim bought eight pairs for everyone. We figured it would get cold." he replied happily. "Oh you look so damn cute you know that?" He just said out of nowhere.  
  
"Yeah of course I know. You tell me that all the time." She said in a cute voice.  
  
"No, you're even more cute here. In your winter clothes, sitting all confused in the snow strapped to your snowboard." He replied very serious.  
  
"Yeah well I'm not that confused I know sort of what I'm doing." She replied, jokingly.  
  
"No Haley I'm serious. Why me, how did you end up with me?" He asked.  
  
"Because your great, and wonderful and I was pulled into you, like gravity." She replied, finally getting the seriousness he was using.  
  
"No I'm not Haley, I'm not that great, have you ever really dated other guys to know that?" He asked.  
  
"No Nathan, other guys just never were interested. Besides I was lucky to get you, I am so happy now, and just think what if you hadn't been in that robbing of that store."  
  
"Yeah right haley, all the time I catch guys looking at you or flirting with you, they want you, they usually seem like cool guys too, why me? Why was I the lucky one, the one who got to have you fall in love with him."  
  
"That's the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me that was amazing." Haley said, almost speechless.  
  
"No, you're amazing." Nathan said.  
  
There they were, just the two of them sitting on the ski hill in the snow.  
  
"Haley, always remember something OK?" Nathan began.  
  
"What?" She asked.  
  
"That no matter what, you can always come to me for help." He said.  
  
"I already know that Nathan, you are always there for me." She replied. "I don't mean to spoil the moment or anything, but is there any reason for this?" She asked.  
  
"Yeah, kinda." Nathan replied.  
  
Haley got a little worried, was he leaving, she didn't think he would be breaking up with her, but she was confused. "What is it?" she asked.  
  
"I'm not really sure how to say this." He replied.  
  
"It doesn't matter, just tell me I'll understand." Haley replied, she was still confused and kinda scared.  
  
"OK, Haley, I know we are still in high school, and you're only seventeen, and I'm only seventeen, but lots of people are young when they do it, and you are the best thing that ever happened has happened to me, and I don't know if you feel the same but-"  
  
"Nathan, you're rambling. Just say it." Haley said.  
  
"Someday, probably after university, or I don't know when, would you marry me?" He asked.  
  
Haley was shocked, and even though everything was so weird lately she wanted to say yes. But she didn't know if she could say yes.  
  
"Yeah, I figured it was too weird because we were too young, but more than anything, I don't want to lose you-"  
  
"Nathan I love you, I want to marry you someday." Haley replied.  
  
"Yeah, but not now right, you still want freedom, to date around, see those other guys that flirt with you, yeah I'm jsut so stupid." He said, he wasn't angry at her, he was mad at his own stupidity. He jumped up on his board and after he caught his balance started to go down the hill.  
  
Haley, falling back to reality yelled "Nathan! Yes. Yes. I will."  
  
He fell over, flat on his face, he fell over on the board.  
  
"Nathan!" haley screamed as she quickly unhooked her board and ran down to him. "Are you OK?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm better than OK." he said while reaching through his jacket. He pulled out a ring box, opened it to reveal a beautiful engagement ring. "But remember, I will wait, just as long as I get you."  
  
"I love you." Haley said as she jumped on him and began to kiss him right on the hill.  
  
Just then, as if on queue to ruin the moment, the rest of the group came down the hill, Brooke Peyton and Theresa going, not smoothly, but going.  
  
"Hey, we just came up to see where you two ended up, guess you guys jsut gave up on the boarding. Are you really that bad Hales?" Lucas said jokingly.  
  
Nathan picked the box up without anyone noticing, and slipped it back in his pocket. "It will be our little secret for now." He whispered to haley.  
  
The eight of them finished boarding down the hill, none of them could figure out what was up with Nathan and haley, but were having too much fun to care. All of them forgot they were unbelievably tired.  
  
That night though, they all crashed in the girls cabin, forgeting that if they got caught they would be killed.  
  
Chapter 23 -  
  
It was the next morning, Haley woke up at thew sound of the wakeup bell.  
  
"Dammit" She said eally loud.  
  
"What?" Said Someone really sleepily.  
  
"We all fell asleep." She replied.  
  
"That's what you're supposed to do at night, not like we knew that." This time it was obviosly Brooke.  
  
"Yeah but we are already in trouble with Whitey, do you know how fast he'll kill us if he finds them sleeping here." She motioned to the guys.  
  
"Hey sweetheart, it will be OK, he won't come looking for us." Nathan said from right next to her. He shifted a bit and grabbed her arm, ran his hand down to her ring finger, then kissed it. Them began to kiss her on the lips  
  
She smiled and gave in to his kiss, which eventually lead to them making out.  
  
There was a knock at the door two minutes later.  
  
"Hello. Girls!" It was Whitey.  
  
Haley broke free of Nathan. "Told you." she said to everyone.  
  
They were all fully awake by now they didn't know what to do.  
  
"The window." Whispered Brooke.  
  
"UM... Hold on Coach, I need to put on some clothes." Haley said loudly.  
  
"Oh sorry." He replied.  
  
The guys were taking a long time to get out  
  
"Um Brooke, these don't fit, Your ass is too small." Haley kept going.  
  
"Oh, then just put your pajama pants back on." Brooke replied.  
  
"OK." and she waited a few seconds them opened the door. The guys had taken off already.  
  
"Hello girls. Good sleep?" Whiey asked as he looked around the room.  
  
"Yeah." Theresa replied.  
  
The four girls looked completely innocent to Whitey, so he just said goodbye and left.  
  
Halwy, Brooke Peyton and Theresa burst out laughing. It was hilarious.  
  
"He had no idea." Peyton laughed.  
  
"Nope." Haley replied.  
  
They quickly got dressed then headed for brreakfast. Just wating for what was planned for today.  
  
They got to the Mess hall and went to sit with the guys.  
  
Haley sat down with Nathan.  
  
"Hello all of you, today is your free day, today you can do pretty much whatever you want for the day, except go up to the snow hill. You can go to the water, go to the archery area or pretty much just stay wherever, just out of trouble." The camp director said. "well after you're done breakfast, go ahead."  
  
When they were done, Nathan pulled Haley outside.  
  
"Where are we going?" She asked him as he kept pulling her around.  
  
"You'll see." He said.  
  
He was dragging her eally fast, after a minute or two she got tired.  
  
"Nathan my legs aren't as long as yours." SHe said.  
  
"OK." He said, then he bent down and said "Get on my back."  
  
"Are you sure, this is so childish." She replied.  
  
"Well, you are like a princess who shouldn't have to walk." He joked.  
  
"That was lame." Haley replied.  
  
"Yeah a little huh?" He said embarrassed.  
  
They kept going, her on his back until he stopped at a lookout spot.  
  
"We're here." he replied.  
  
Chapter 24  
  
"Where's here?" Haley asked.  
  
"It's this awesome look out spot here, you can see all the mountains in the area, everything, do you like it?"  
  
"I love it, but how did you find this place I've been around you all week." Haley was confused.  
  
"If I told you I'd have to kill you."  
  
"HaHa Nathan Scott, how?"  
  
"Tim used to go here, to this camp, he says he came here every summer for like five years. He brought his first real girlfriend up here. And I wanted to bring mine." Nathan replied.  
  
"You've had other girlfriends Nathan." Haley replied.  
  
"But they weren't real, they were for sex, and they were for parties, you are for real." Nathan replied.  
  
"Stop doing that." Haley replied.  
  
"Doing what?" He asked.  
  
"Saying things like that." She replied. "Sweet things that make me never want to move."  
  
"I don't want you to."  
  
"Well someday I will."  
  
"No you won't you're going to marry me." He replied.  
  
"Yes I am," she paused. "Wow I just can't get over that."  
  
"What that you're going to be Haley Scott? Or that you're stuck with me forever."  
  
"Both." She said with a smile.  
  
"Oh yeah?"  
  
"Yeah Nathan what you going to do about it?" He gave a smile and began to chase her around.  
  
"Ah!" She screamed as she ran in front of him.  
  
He got ahold of her arm and tripped, which made her fall down too, she fell right on top of him. "Now why would you ever want to move?" He asked.  
  
"I don't." And she layed back onto his chest just listening to him breath.  
  
The rest of the week was very uneventful. They arrived back at Tree Hill all fine, Haley was scared to face home, but everything turned out OK, her brother, was gone to rehab, her dad and mom were going to councilling, Haley could still at any time go see her coucellor she had for teh last few months, and with Nathan nothing could get better.  
  
It was June, Graduation time. Everyone knew that this was going to be hard.  
  
It was the morning of grad, Haley and Brooke were over at Peyton's house getting ready.  
  
"So where do you think you guys are gonna end up after high school?" Brooke asked, Haley and Nathan still kept their secret.  
  
"In Europe studying art. I got my scolorship." Peyton replied.  
  
The other two jumped up to hug, her she had wanted this more than anything.  
  
"what about you Haley?" Peyton asked.  
  
"Somewhere with Nathan. I don't know where, but somewhere." She replied.  
  
"You think he'll do that, give up his dream?" Brooke asked.  
  
"He won't have to, we have it all worked out." Haley replied.  
  
"Do you think you two will ever get married?" Peyton asked.  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"And we'll find a ring on that finger of yours." Peyton said as she jokingly held up Haley's left hand. She paused. "Or, we already have."  
  
Haley pulled away, she loved the ring, and always wore it, but never told anyone.  
  
"That's an engagement ring." Brooke said. "I saw it in the jewllers a few months ago when my dad wanted to buy my mom a gift there."  
  
"So, who cares, it's nice he bought it, like he knew otehrwise." Haley tried to cover things up.  
  
"You're engaged to him aren't you?" Peyton said.  
  
She gave in, "yes."  
  
"You're seventeen. he's eighteen, what are you two going to do?" Brooke asked.  
  
"First, finish school, then do college, then afterward get married."  
  
"Sure haley, not to be mean, but it won't happen." Brooke said. "He will not wait for you, his basketball will take off, and you'll never see him again.  
  
Nathan was back over at Lucas' the same twist of events happened there.  
  
"Nathan, what's this?" He asked as he held up the box to the ring.  
  
"Jewellry box bro, get your eyes checked." He replied calmly.  
  
"In your room? empty?" Lucas pryed.  
  
"Yeah I gave it to Haley already, it was a necklace."  
  
"No, this held a ring, look at the inside." Lucas replied.  
  
"OK OK I gave her a ring big deal."  
  
"But you lied about it so it is a big deal." Lucas replied. then he gasped. "You proposed didn't you?"  
  
"What's with the third degree?" Nathan said.  
  
"Either you proposed to Haley and you admit it now, or I assume that you cheated on her." Lucas replied.  
  
"OK, OK, I proposed, what's wrong with that?" Nathan asked.  
  
"Nothing, but don't break her heart."  
  
"Why does everyone keep telling me that, all the people I've talked too about Haley say that." Nathan was mad now.  
  
"We just all love her and don't want to see her hurt." Lucas said trying to calm Nathan.  
  
"Well no one has to worry, I won't be breaking her heart, not now not ever. Oh and don't worry, we won't get married until after university, and when we are settled with life." He added.  
  
he's getting good at that reading the mind sibling thing Lucas thought.  
  
When Nathan turned around to go back to his room he saw a very unlikely group of people. His mom, his dad, uncle Keith, the kids from Christmas, Julia and Jamie and their parents Kirsten and Don, and Karen.  
  
"What are you doing here?" He asked.  
  
"To see you graduate." Deb replied.  
  
"I know that, but why'd you come here to the house?" He asked. Lucas felt really awkward, and it was his room.  
  
"We knew you'd be here." Dan replied.  
  
"Mom Da, can I talk to you in my room?" Nathan said as he motioned them out of the room, he turned to Lucas, mouth 'sorry' then did the same to Karen.  
  
"Why did you come here Dad? You know how much this would hurt the two of them."  
  
"Well I figured the could get over a little thing like that in this many years." Dan replied.  
  
"Well they aren't as heartless as you."  
  
"Hey Nathan your father and I will take the group and meet you at the school OK?" Deb cut in before a fight broke out.  
  
"Thanks Mom." Nathan replied, giving his dad an evil look.  
  
This should be interesting, thought Nathan Me my family Lucas Karen, Haley, the little girl who hates her, and the whole school and town watching me.  
  
Chapter 25 -  
  
"Hey Nathan." Haley said happily as she saw him at the school. She gave his a kiss on the cheek, but he didn't make any movement. "What's wrong?" She asked.  
  
"Guess who's here?" He said. "My dad, my mom, Kirsten, Jamie Julia Don their dad, and Keith."  
  
"Oh." She said in a let down voice. "Well you can hang out with me and my family today, you can hide among my thirty brothers and sisters." She paused. "Oh, and I know we said we'd keep it a secret, but Brooke and Peyton figured it out, then I admitted to it."  
  
"Yeah Lucas did too." Nathan replied. "He found the box."  
  
"Hmm, well they were bound to find out sooner or later." Haley replied. "But oh crap, I have to go, I need to go get my speech."  
  
"Yeah yeah yeah, go ahead miss Valedictorian." he replied letting her go.  
  
"Yeah, love ya, bye." She kissed him on the cheek again then ran off.  
  
She got to her locker opened it and got her Speech. She was starting to walk toward the ceremony area on the grounds when she heard Nathan's dad on the phone.  
  
Haley wasn't really a person who listened in, but she wanted to know what he had to say, mainly because she heard Nathan's name.  
  
"Yeah I'm at his graduation now." Pause. "Yeah, well he is my son so I had to come back to this hell hole." Pause. "Well yeah, I also need to do that." Pause. "She is just being a bad influence, and once I saw the bill for the ring, I knew I had to get down here." Pause. "No she isn't really a bad person, but she is likely to end up like Karen Roe." Pause. "she is smart, I guess she is valedictorian today, and she tutored him a bit this year, but she is in it for a long term thing, and right now, he needs to focus on his career." Pause. "Yeah but I better go now, I have to go watch the ceremony. Deb would kill me if I missed it." Pause. "I know I'm sorry I forgot how you don't like me talking about her around you." Pause. "Yeah of course I'm going to leave her for you, I only need to be here until Nathan has his life on track, then it will be me and you."  
  
An announcement came on the P/A "Haley James, we need you for the ceremony, be outside on the school grounds in the next five minutes."  
  
She didn't know what to do, he was still on the phone, but she had to go. Oh screw it she thought I'm not afraid of him and I need to get out there.  
  
She stepped out, she thought that he might not notice her, but she was wrong.  
  
When he saw her he went silent. "Um I better go." He said after a few seconds.  
  
He ran after her. "Helen!" he called.  
  
"My name is Haley, I figured you'd at least know that considering you talk about me over the phone."  
  
"You shouldn't eavesdrop it isn't polite." he said in a commanding voice.  
  
"You shouldn't do a lot of things you do, but you still do, so don't talk." She began to turn away. He grabbed her wrist. She had bad memories of the night Nathan did the same thing.  
  
"I have friends in high places and you are getting involved in things you shouldn't be, stay out of it, and stay away from Nathan." He commanded.  
  
"Is that a threat?" She said as strong as she could with the pain rushing to her wrist.  
  
"Yes, now mark my words." he said.  
  
"I'm not scared of you." She said still keeping a straight face.  
  
"You should be." He said, then he let go of her arm and made his way down the hall.  
  
She slipped down leaning against the wall, blood was rushing back to her hand. It hurt a lot more than it had when it was Nathan.  
  
Lucas came down the hall. When she saw him she quickly let her robe slide down over the redness on her arm. And she dried her eyes.  
  
"Hey, we've been looking for you." He said. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing, I was just upset I thought I lost the speech." She replied.  
  
"OK." He wasn't entirely convinced, but he knew someone was going to kill her if she was any later for her meeting with the teachers.  
  
She got there just in time, she went over the schedule then took her place in line with the grads.  
  
They went outside to the graduation music played by the grade 10 and 11 band.  
  
She sat down next to a girl who she didn't really know with the last name Jamison.  
  
"Welcome everybody, it is great to see all you parents, siblings, and friends of our graduates. Today we are here to honor these great students. Most of them have been here in Tree Hill for the last twelve years of their lives, and some are newer, but no matter what, they have all accomplished amazing things here." The principal said. "Here to tell you about her school years is our valedictorian, Haley James."  
  
She walked up to the podium. She was really nervous, she was even more nervous when she looked out at the crowd. Dan Scot made her shudder. She looked toward Nathan, he gave her a smile and mouthed. 'It's OK' She smiled then took a breath and made her speech. "Hello, and welcome to our graduation, we are all happy you could come out here to see us in, what might be called our finest moment." She took a breath as some people laughed a bit. "Because as we all know, we've had some, rocky moments over the years. I think these last twelve years will be the most memorable of my life. I met my best friend during them, met a ton of other friends during them, had some great teachers, and met the love of my life during them." She smiled at Nathan who mouthed I love you to her. "But in the end i really doesn't matter what has happened during these last years, because we are all moving in different directions, one of my friends will probably end up trying her way in Hollywood, another a famous artist touring the world, two others going on the be great sports heroes and so many other people who are going so many places.  
  
"I believe that really what matters about these last few years is not where you're going, or who you're going to meet, but who you are, who you grew up as, and who you met along the way. So now I would like to say good luck to the class of 2004. I'll always remember you, and no matter where you go, don't forget your roots back here in Tree Hill. Thank you."  
  
They went through the names of all the students in the grade. It was Haley's turn, "Haley James." Called her homeroom teacher. She walked up got her diploma and did the traditional tassel switch. But when she did, nathan noticed that her wrist was turning purple.  
  
He wished his name was earlier, and not starting with S, but when it did get called he slowly walked up, got his diploma then did the tassel thing. But afterward, when he was off stage he ran to Haley who was with Peyton and Brooke at the cake table.  
  
He grabbed her shoulders and slowed her toward the empty hallways of the entry of the school. "What happened to your wrist?" He asked.  
  
"Nothing, I hit it in my locker." Haley covered up.  
  
"not you didn't I've seen your wrist like that before, that was when I grabbed it, only it's worse." he was concerned.  
  
"You can't make a scene OK?" He nodded. "It was your dad. I heard a conversation of his with a girl he is having an affair with, then they called me to meet for the ceremony, and he got mad and he threatened me, he wants to break us up, then get you off to college, then break up with your mom."  
  
Nathan was almost speechless. "Hold on I have to go talk to my mom." And he ran off.  
  
Haley stood there when he came back he said "I talked to her, now I have a surprise for you, we are going somewhere."  
  
"OK."  
  
And they went off. They got into his car then just kept driving, they had taken off the grad robes but were still in fancy clothes.  
  
"Here we are." He said as they pulled up to a 24 hour wedding chapel.  
  
She looked him in the eye. "Are you sure?"  
  
"Yeah, I love you, and not even my dad can get me away from you." He replied.  
  
"OK." And she took his hand.  
  
Chapter 26 -  
  
"Uh Nathan do'nt we need a marriage liscence thingy?" Haley asked.  
  
"Yes, but is that a way of just stalling?" He asked.  
  
"No." And then they turned toward tyhe car again.  
  
They got down to the building and got in a line.  
  
"Hello." Said a lady at the desk in front of them.  
  
"Hi." Nathan said. "We need a marriage liscense."  
  
They went through all the things they needed to. They had a bit of a harder time because they were really young. But in the end it was all done.  
  
"Let's go back" Nathan said.  
  
"OK, yeah let's go." She replied.  
  
They went to the chapel again. When they got inside they were actually really impressed, it was nice inside.  
  
"Hello how may I help you two?" Asked a lady behing the counter which was decorated in prices andlace.  
  
"We want to have the nicest wedding you can give us. Money is no problem. We want the whole package, whatever it is." Nathan said taking charge.  
  
"OK, this cermony is the most expensive one we have, you get the option to do all the regular wedding things, even your own vows., and we have a variety of gowns for her and tuxes for you." She said as she showed a picture of a beautifully done chapel with Lace and flowers, it was beautiful. "We have the option to get a video during the wedding, it will be done by a professional photographer we have here, you can also get the picture package, we do a bunch of pictures of the couple and any guests they have at the wedding in front of the limo outside. We also provide the accomidations at the honeymoon sweet at the four star hotel down the street. The package is really expensive though, the total will come out to be $5000.00."  
  
Haley chocked on her gum.  
  
"It's OK Hales you are worth it all." Nathan replied.  
  
"It's way too much." Haley replied.  
  
"Nope, we'll take it." Nathan replied.  
  
"Um, well we can't do it tonight, our photographer is not here today, he will be back tomorrow, but since this is a 24 hour chapel and you wont get the deal you want we will drop it to $3500.00 if you come tomorrow, and we will accomidate you at the same hotel down the street in a different room."  
  
Nathan and haley talked it out. "Yeah, we'll take that deal." Haley replied.  
  
They got a key for the room they were going to be in, it was a two bed room, queen sized beds.  
  
"Well at least the maids will only have to clean one bed." Nathan said.  
  
"No, I'm tired I think I'll take my own bed, besides if we are getting married tomorrow." Haley said sweetly.  
  
"That is mean girl, very mean." He said, but he was tired too, and he had been driving sicne they left the school so he figured bed would be good.  
  
When she woke up the next day Haley was almost in shock, she was so happy.  
  
"Hey." Nathan said to her when she woke up.  
  
"Wow, what are you doing up?" She asked. "You always sleep later than me."  
  
"Well yesterday I gave the number of my cell to the lady at the chapel and she called early, and it was on vibrate but I forgot to take it out of my jeans and it woke me up. They sent over some outfits for us. I chose a tux, and they sent you over five dresses for you. They also said they had more if you didn't want any of these." Nathan said.  
  
"Oh, that is so cool." Haley replied.  
  
"Oh, and don't be mad, but I felt so weird it just being me and you I wanted others here." He began, "I called Lucas, he is bringing Brooke, Peyton, Tim, Jake, Theresa, and my mom, only because I left her with my dad all night."  
  
"Deal." Haley said, then went over to the dresses.  
  
"I feel unwanted." Nathan said as Haley went through all the dresses about four times.  
  
"You are for now." She replied. After twenty minutes shse had one chosen, she loved them all but this one was amazing. "I'm done." She replied. "Well done witht the dress, I still need makeup and hair."  
  
"Let me see." Nathan said.  
  
"Nope. I need to go do makeup."  
  
"We can help with that if you let us in." It was Peyton outside the door. Nathan opened the door.  
  
Nathan had no more time to argue he gave in and turned to teh guys.  
  
"Ooo, nice choice Haley." Brooke said. As she walked over to the bathroom "And I thought you had no fashion sense."  
  
"Thanks, but I do need makeup and hair." Haley said. "Oh I feel like a model or a movie store."  
  
"OK, well we will see you guys later, we have a lot to do." Peyton said.  
  
"Come on Deb." Haley said.  
  
"Give me a minute." Deb said. "I need to have a talk with my son."  
  
This was a queue for Lucas Tim and Jake to leave. "Uh we're hungry see you guys in a few mintues."  
  
"Nathan." Deb began.  
  
"Mom." There was silence. "OK I know I know, you think this is a bad idea, but-"  
  
"Nathan, I love you, and I support your decision but I wanted to tell you something before you found out another way, Haley called me last night and told me about the hallway thing, I'm not pressing charges, Haley still can, but I am leaving him, I know it's a terrible grad gift, but I had to do it."  
  
"Ok Mom," Nathan said with a sigh. "I hate him for what he did to you, I don't want to see him ever again, he hurt her physically, and he hurt you mentally, I love you mom, he has just always cared where I'm going in sports and that crap, you actually cared, and so does Haley, so I really don;t give a #%$. He has hurt two of the most important girls in my life and, I hate him for it."  
  
Deb was really happy for him, she knew that he knew what he wanted and he knew what was right. She didn't really have anything left to say so she gave him a hug, "I better go help Haley, I'm the only one here who's been a bride and they probably have attacked her by now."  
  
"Yeah. And she has to look nice for me today right." Nathan joked.  
  
"This is her day Nathan, don't you forget that." Deb said.  
  
"Well it's my day too." He said seriously. "Right?"  
  
"Yeah, but she is even more excited about this, she has dreamed about this her whole life, don't forget that." Deb sadi, then she saw the concerened look on his face. "I'm just kidding Nathan, it's your day too, but don't you forget about her."  
  
Just then Brooke and Peyton came out and guided Haley out of teh room hidden from Nathan. "Can't see a bride on her wedding day." Den said.  
  
"I Already saw her earlier when we woke up." Nathan replied.  
  
"But have you seen her in her dress?" Brooke asked.  
  
"No,"  
  
"Then it doesn't count." Brooke said.  
  
"But I saw the dress on the rack."  
  
Haley mumbled something that Nathan couldn't understand, it was too muffled.  
  
"She says she is mad at you, how could you think the dress would look anywhere near as good on the rack as it did on her? Nathan I'm disappointed." Theresa repeated.  
  
Deb turned to him "Told you it's Her day." Then the five girls walked out.  
  
Lucas Jake and Tim came back in. "Why was Haley hidden?" Lucas asked.  
  
"Can't see her in her dress it's the wedding day." Nathan mocked the girls.  
  
"Ha, you were shot down." Tim joked.  
  
"Hey dude jsut give it some time, things will be great, an hour or two should be good." Jake joked.  
  
"Hey guys thanks for coming, it would have been a bit weirder just me and Haley." Nathan said.  
  
"Well it's fine that you invited us, but don't get that sentimental, we will not come to the honeymoon." Lucas joked.  
  
Nathan threw a pillow at him.  
  
Chapter 27-  
  
"You ready?" Peyton asked Haley. "We can drive you to Mexico."  
  
"Haha, no it's ok, I just can't stop shaking, it is so weird."  
  
"Well it's your choice." Brooke joked.  
  
"Yeah, we all no there is not way you and Lucas would ever get married." Theresa joked.  
  
"Shut up." Brooke replied, then went down and fixed a flaw in Haley's dress.  
  
"They're ready to start are you guys?" Asked the lady who ran the desk.  
  
They all look at Haley. "yep." She replied.  
  
The music began to play, one by one the girls went in, they were supposed to be the bridemaids, they were given matching dresses when they got the the chapel, it was really fancy for a small chapel, it was worth the money.  
  
The main music began, Haley took a deep breathas she began to walk down the isle.  
  
She stepped beyond the door to the practically empty chapel, she looked up and saw Nathan staring at her, she never felt more beautiful in her life.  
  
When she reached Nathan he whispered "I love you" In her ear. She smiled at him.  
  
"Who gives thid woman to this man?" Asked the man at the altar.  
  
Haley didn't realize they'd say that.  
  
"We do." Said Peyton and Brooke. "We're her friends." they added.  
  
They continued witht the ceremony. "If there is anyone here who believes that these two should not get married please speak now."  
  
No one did obviosly.  
  
They kept going, when it got the the vows Nathan went first, they wanted to do their own. "I never wrote anything down because I decided that what I wanted to say could not be thought in advance. Haley, you are the most amzing person in my life. I fell for you practically when I met you. When I first came to Tree Hill I never wanted to find someone for a serious relationship, but I guess it is true, the things that are the best in life can't be planned, I want to be here for you now and forever, you are the best person to come into mylife, and no matter what you were there for me. I love you, you are wonderful and don't ever leave me because I am not complete without you." Haley was crying halfway through it.  
  
It was her turn. "Nathan, I told myself a long time ago when I was a little girl that a boy could never make me cry. But since you have come into it I have cried more than I ever have in my life, but if I hadn't I never would be here with you today. You are the one person who can make me happy no matter what you do. That first day I met you in the airport I thought you were a cocky jerk, but you still had this weird hold on me. Then that day at school when your locker wouldn't open, you already had that hold for me, I love you and I don't evr want to be away from you, this is the best day of my life and I love you so much."  
  
They did the rings. "With this ring as a symbol of my love and effection, I thee wed." Haley said.  
  
Nathan did the same.  
  
"By the power invested in me by the state of North Carolina, I promounce you husband and wife. You may kiss your bride." The man finished.  
  
Nathan grabbed Haley around the waist and kissed her as fast as he could. She lost her balance from the shock of him doing it so fast, but he caught her as she fell towrd him.  
  
They all went outside to the limo. Haley and Nathan alone posed for pictures, then everyone joined with them.  
  
"We have a surprise for you." Lucas said after they were done the pictures.  
  
"What?" Haley asked.  
  
"Well we have to drive back to Tree Hill for you to see." Peyton said.  
  
"Oh, but Nathan paid for the honemoon sweet at the local hotel we were at last night." Haley said.  
  
"Well get your money back." Brooke said unhappily.  
  
"We can't it was part of the deal." Haley said.  
  
"Well that doesn't matter, we should be with our friends for part of tonght." Nathan said as he kissed her forehead.  
  
"OK, well we need to go change, I need to take off the dress."  
  
"I'll come too." Nathan said, then the two of them wen tback to the hotel.  
  
As they walked into the lobby a bunch of people in it began to clap and cheer for them.  
  
"Congratulations." Said a couple in the elevator. "We are getting married two weeks from now. Your dress is beautiful." The lady continued.  
  
"Oh, congrats to you guys too." Haley replied.  
  
"I don't mean to sound nosey, but how old are you?" the man asked.  
  
Nathan laughed. "Well I'm eighteen she is seventeen." He replied. "Yeah we are really young, but why not?"  
  
"That is so sweet." The lady said.  
  
"Well this is our floor" Haley said, "good luck."  
  
When they were done changing they returned the outfits then went down to meet everyone.  
  
They drove to Karen's Cafe back in Tree Hill, Karne met them outside.  
  
"Congratulations." She said as she hugged Haley.  
  
"You should have come."  
  
"Well I had to do this for you." Karen replied as she motioned toward the Cafe.  
  
Chapter 28 -  
  
She gasped. Karen had made the cafe into a beautiful party room. It was made especially for them. There was a huge sign that said congratulations.  
  
"Oh Karen it's beautiful" Haley exclaimed.  
  
"Well come insdie and see it for real." Karen replied.  
  
They walked insdie, as they did a bunch of people all began to jump out of nowhere for the party.  
  
"A surprise wedding party, Hm that's new." Nathan said.  
  
"Shut up, you'll ruin the moment." Haley joked.  
  
"Hey just as long as I'm with you it's all good." Nathan replied then gave her a kiss.  
  
"Haley Haley Haley." It was students from the junior high.  
  
"Ah what are you doing here?" She said happily.  
  
"Well my mom owns the party store that makes the signs, and I was there for the day and I figured it was you two, then Mrs. Scott invited me to bring friends. I even brouhgt the guys from the team for you Nathan." Said Sandra, who was just finsihing grade eight.  
  
"Thanks for coming guys." Haley said as she hugged the girls.  
  
"Hey boys," Nathan said to the team as they approached him.  
  
"Hey Nate, you know you're stuck with her forever now." Said one boy.  
  
"Yeah I know, isn't it great." He replied.  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Oh run along." Nathan said.  
  
"I'm just kidding, it's pretty cool, besides she's hot."  
  
"And she's not deaf," Haley said.  
  
The boys ran off.  
  
"Well we do have a big meal planned for you guys." Karen began. "Come sit down."  
  
They did, they went to the table at the front of the room. They were served a beautiful five course meal, then Lucas made an announcement that they would be having their first dance.  
  
"Well that is if they give us a song to use." Lucas added.  
  
Haley looked over at Nathan. "We don't really have a song."  
  
"No." Nathan replied.  
  
"You guys choose one that fits us." Haley replied.  
  
They all talked it over with each other then they told the two of them to go out to the dance floor.  
  
They started the song, it was Faith Hill's There you'll be. Haley knew it off by heart, it was her favorite.  
  
"You guys this is a breakup song." Haley said.  
  
"We know we know, but we figured we would skip a step." Lucas joked.  
  
"I'm going to kill you." Haley said.  
  
"Me too. Put on a real song." Nathan agreed.  
  
"OK OK." Lucas aid and then Brooke changed the song.  
  
The music began to play, it was Christina Aguilera's we're a miracle.  
  
"This is like heaven." haley said.  
  
"This is heaven Haley." Nathan replied.  
  
The song finished.  
  
They did the cake. Nathan nicely put cake in Haley's mouth, she didn't think that was fun so she stuffed it is his face then backed off before he could do it to her.  
  
At the end of the night everyone began to leave. Lucas and karen were the only ones left aside from the two of tehm  
  
"Karen thanks so much this was beautiful." Haley said as she gave him a hug.  
  
"Yeah I love it." Nathan agreed. "You ready to go?"  
  
"Go where?" Haley asked.  
  
"To the rest of our lives." Nathan took her hand and tehy walked out.  
  
They drove to the airport.  
  
"Why are we here?" Haley asked.  
  
"We have to go on a honeymoon, we are going to the Caribbean, only for a week though."  
  
"That's good enough for me." Haley said.  
  
They flew to the Caribbean. As the sat on the beach Nathan rolled over onto Haley stomach.  
  
"Are you happy?" He asked.  
  
"Yeah. I'm happy. Are you happy?"  
  
"I'm with you aren't I?"  
  
THE END 


End file.
